I've written previously about Hazel and Maybellene's best friendship and how I thrust myself upon her mom, Ann, at story time because she had cute glasses and I was determined to make a mom friend that day.  Instead, how about some brief tips on photographing little kids?  I'm by no means an expert, but I do have about 10,000 photos of Hazel on my own and many of my clients have been under the age of 10.

Robyn Pizzo Photo's 5 Tips on Getting Great Shots of Your Kids

1. Get down on their level.  
   Occasionally I like to shoot from high above to get a "parent's eye view" but more often than not, I am down on the ground crouching and crawling and doing whatever contortion it takes to get my camera at their eye level.  

2. Don't worry about the mess.
   Keep your camera ready to strike whenever the moment happens.  If you're worried about clutter distracting from the subject, try changing the photo to black and white.

3. The best camera is the one you have with you.
   This tip is straight to you from my photography teacher.  Our first assignment this semester was to make a striking image with our cell phones since he knows that that is the camera we typically carry.  If you don't own a big fancy camera, that doesn't mean you can't still take great photos.  My husband David has an awesome instagram feed that's 90% photos taken with an iPhone.  For cell phone shots to look their best, make sure you have plenty of light and you're holding the device steady.

4. Action shots are fun!
   Not everything has to be perfectly posed.  

5. Capture the little details.
   I love the dimples, tiny toes, funny expressions, swirls of hair on the tops of their head.  Take lots of those photos because they change so quickly.

See if you can spot some of my tips in action in the adorable photos of Maybellene below!