Wandering is in my bones.
I’ve lived more than half my life outside my passport country, had both my children overseas, and spend at least 3 months on the road every year. Then there was that time my husband and I threw the kids in the back of the car and spent a year driving through three continents, from Abu Dhabi to Ireland and back.
My children have inherited the nomadic gene, and on a whim, will gladly jump on a plane right alongside me. Sharing travel with them is one of my greatest joys.
Why travel with kids?
Traveling with kids opens your eyes to the world in a whole new way. They have an innocent curiosity and explore their surroundings without preconceptions.
And they view different things at a lower eye level than you do — you might be seeing the beautiful buildings and vistas, while they’re watching the chickens running in the street and the strange seed pods at their feet. They peek around corners and pick up on odd little things, while we’ve learned to skim over the little details and look for the big things.
Plus, everywhere you go, people simply adore kids. It opens doors to conversation and connection with people as they stop to coo and fuss over your baby or offer food to your toddler.
When you have kids in tow, you slow down and soak up more. You try to capture the world through their eyes. You put less pressure on yourself for the picture-perfect moments because every parent knows there’s no such thing as perfection after babies come along! You learn to go with the flow, to stop for snack breaks and playgrounds, and accept that the gorgeous moments don’t always happen under perfect lighting. You learn to just be.
I have no doubt that travel has strengthened us as a family and made my kids more adaptable and resilient. They’ve seen us as parents challenged by circumstances in a new place and realize that we all are constantly learning, growing and evolving.
Photographing kids on the go
Traveling while juggling children and taking photos has been a massive learning curve, and has contributed enormously to my development as a photographer. I’ve had to learn to photograph literally anywhere, and in any lighting conditions. It’s pushed me to make my photography almost totally instinctive. Because of that, some of the most imperfect moments are the ones that mean the most to me when I look back on them.
There are three main things I want to capture in my photos, no matter where in the world I am: emotion, engagement and environment. When my heart is invested in a place or activity, I can capture the connections and unfolding story by combining those three synchronistic elements. Later, the images will take me back to what I was feeling in that place, that time.
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Ask questions.
Why do you want to travel to this specific destination? What do you want your kids to experience? What is important enough to want to treasure in a picture? Use the answers to guide you.
Research.
When you know what to expect and have a general plan, it’s so much easier to prepare your children. It greatly helps your kids to be able to go with the flow once you’re there. Know good routes to the key places and sunrise and sunset times.
Be knowledgeable.
About your camera, lighting and composition, so you can soak up your travels without having to worry about the technicalities.
Anticipate and visualize.
Imagine how your kids will behave in that place, and anticipate how you might capture them. Play to their strengths and incorporate activities they love. If you see your kids especially engaged with someone or about to walk into a beautiful scene, be prepared to click the shutter instinctively without overthinking.
Stop and look.
Keep your eyes and mind open to amazing opportunities. Look for interesting compositional elements such as doorways or arches. Look for the light and its direction and use it to your advantage. Consider your perspective — could you move around a tourist spot to capture it from a less populated angle?
Use your senses.
Capture photos that awaken all the senses. Capture food that you can almost smell, textures that you can feel, and joyful giggles that you can almost hear.
Keep the kids happy.
Whiny kids happen! But well prepared kids who are doing things they enjoy are less likely to have a meltdown. Ice cream always helps, as do frequent breaks, stops at parks, snacks and lots of water. And don’t forget to make sure they’re dressed in comfortable outfits suitable for the activity you’re doing.
Be mindful about your settings.
While I strongly believe shooting should be intuitive, you still need to think about your settings. Ask yourself, for example, would a lower f/stop help to isolate your subject? Do you want to include more of the background? Would a slow shutter speed and movement in the frame help to capture the atmosphere?
Have patience.
Wait for the shot! Let the other tourists move, slow down and wait for the right light; just generally allow yourself to take your time. Leave your kids alone until the perfect moment and then encourage them into the scene. Be patient with your kids; you’ve taken them somewhere new and sometimes that can be overwhelming.
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Photograph the details.
Give the kids a break while you capture other elements of the trip, such as signs, souvenirs and other little details that help to tell the whole story. Get down on their level and capture what they see.
Keep it natural.
Real life is beautiful. Capture your kids’ genuine smiles as they explore. Capture their curiosity and playful spirits, not just the looking-at-the-camera, typical tourist shots. I take a lot of photos of my children’s backs!
Think about logistics.
When traveling with kids on a photo trip, think carefully about your itinerary, accommodations, and travel route. Staying with a local family can give you a new insight into a place, finding a hotel close to where you want to photograph can mean you get there before the other tourists arrive, and booking ahead for a restaurant can mean you get the table with the perfect view.
Memories first.
Know that you can’t always be at the perfect place in the optimal light, but that happy accidents will happen, too. Don’t be hard on yourself; you’re making memories, not necessarily masterpieces.
This article first appeared in the July/August print issue of Click Magazine. Order print or digital single issues from the Click & Company Store. Or better yet, get a 1-year subscription so you never miss an issue!
Words & photos by Kirsty Larmour
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