We love love love our studio in Downtown Plano. It is full of natural light and it can be built out into cool things like skate parks, vintage sets, and casual bedrooms. But we can’t (sadly) be there with you every time your kiddos do something snap-worthy (like lose a tooth, or win a soccer game). So here are our top DIY photography hacks for you to use at home!

1- INVEST IN A NATURAL LIGHT STUDIO WITH SOUTH FACING WINDOWS or: Use a piece of white poster board or foam board to bound light toward your kiddo, pet, or whoever you are photographing in daylight.

2-  INVEST HOURS LEARNING HOW TO POSE CHILDREN or: Instead, have a friend come over to play with them and you can follow them around with the camera. Plan to do this for at least an hour to get enough photos. Let them look at the camera or completely ignore you- either way you’re sure to get a cool shot.

3- STUDY COMPOSITION RULES AND FINE ART or: An amazing photo usually comes to you if you’ll lay on the ground. Sounds weird. We know. Lay down with your camera. Sit on the floor. Your photos of little ones will be more interesting and you’ll find a whole new world down there. Added bonus- most other moms aren’t thinking about this so your Facebook photos will look way better than theirs. Ha!

4- CULL YOUR IMAGES or: (sorry, there’s no hack for this) Cull your images. Since you spent an hour chasing kids you’ll have hundreds of pictures now. Resist the urge to save them all. We like an average of fifteen photos per event. That way you always leave them wanting more. KEEP THE BEST photos and toss the rest. Yes, TOSS the rest. You don’t need a bunch of bad chi stuck on your hard drive.

5- LEARN HOW TO USE PHOTOSHOP or: We love photoshop, but that took years. If you are serious about taking your own photographs but aren’t ready to invest hundreds of hours into learning photoshop then start with PSE (Photoshop Elements).  You’ll be able to work out some of your lighting issues and start practicing before taking the leap to photoshop.

6- HIRE US OR ANOTHER PHOTOGRAPHY STYLIST or: Make a moodboard using magazines, pinterest, or other photos and notice the colors and textures. Need texture? Sometimes putting your photography subject (be it a piece of jewelry or your baby) on top of a fun texture (burlap, wool, leather) is enough. Need color? Try using a black foam board under your texture. There. You can shoot for natural geographic now.

Don’t think about it too much and photograph what you care about. And, of course, remember that as long as you are taking photos of things that matter to you there really are no rules. Try everything. Then try again.