Tips for Taking Better Photos of Easter Baskets, Bunnies and Egg Hunts
A favorite—and photogenic spring holiday is Easter, bringing with it fancy spring dresses, colorful Easter eggs to decorate along with exciting egg hunts to participate in and visits with the Easter bunny.
It’s easy to make great Easter pictures when you follow a few tips.
What’s more heartwarming than brother and sister holding hands as they search for Easter eggs.
Take Lots of Candids!
Whether you’re photographing your kids decorating Easter eggs, running around the house or yard on the hunt for hidden treasures or chomping on the ear of a candy bunny, candid photographs are often the favorite captures you can make. They’re natural, with no posing or fake grins filling the frame.
On the Hunt
Do you hide Easter eggs around the house or garden or do you take your kids to a local park or community event? No matter which it is, these are all great backdrops for making fun photos as your children romp around, basket in hand.
Because your little ones will be in motion much of the time, you’ll want to use a fast shutter speed to capture the action. To do so, you can set the camera on shutter priority which will let you choose the shutter speed and the camera will choose the corresponding f/stop. Pick a shutter speed of at least 1/500 of a second to make sure you freeze their movements. You may need to increase your ISO if it’s a dreary day or you’re taking pictures inside without a flash. You can also use the Sports scene mode, which will set the camera for capturing action. Check your camera's manual to see if yours offers Scene modes.
Zoom in for tight shots of your little ones filling their baskets, as well as making sure to take a wide shot to capture the entire scene. Especially if the kids are dressed up for the occasion. Kids love to show off, so asking them to show you their basket full of treats is sure to entice a boastful smile. Even a shot of a young girl or boy biting the ear off a big chocolate bunny will help in your storytelling.
Decorating the Easter Eggs
Decorating Easter eggs is a fun family pastime and it can be a treasure-trove of picture making opportunities. Remember to capture plenty of shots before, during and after. You’ll want to take plenty of photos of your decorating station, as well as capture images of your little ones as they try their hand at decorating. Close ups of little hands can be just as wonderful as a wider shot that shows your toddler or child hard at work.
Kids love to show off their found treasure and will likely be eager to supply a wide smile as well.
Photograph the eggs before they’re dyed and decorated. Think about how your photos will tell a story. This image features a bowl of eggs ready for decorating, as well as the jars that will hold the colorful dyes, out of focus but distinct enough to make out, in the background.
A dozen decorated eggs sit in the carton. Shot from above with a lens wide enough to also include the jars of colorful dyes tells a story in one frame.
The photographer focused on the toddler’s hand holding an egg over a jar of dye, for emphasis, but you can still make out the curious expression on her face.
Zoom in and capture the details, like this toddler’s tiny hand carefully dropping an egg into a jar of dye.
Pretty Portraits
You can take nice portraits of your young ones by placing them in front of a solid colored background or one that isn’t too busy looking. Adding a pair of bunny ears or asking them to show off a new stuffed animal toy will make for fanciful images. If you can, also take one without the Easter props for a more timeless portrait.
Don’t forget your furry friends. If your cat or dog will let you photograph them wearing a pair of bunny ears, get a picture of them too!
Set up for a portrait, here the photographer snapped a candid of this little girl counting the eggs in her basket. Asking a child to do a simple task like count the treats in the basket will make an endearing image.
Similarly, children will be happy to show off a brand new stuffed animal, and you're sure to capture a genuine smile.
Take a silly photo like one of your daughter wearing bunny ears for the camera, but also take a normal photo too.
The photographer was able to capture a beautiful portrait of this little girl, without the Easter bunnies and baskets in the frame, for a timeless photograph.
5 Quick Tips
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When photographing the action of children running around during an Easter egg hunt, put the camera on Shutter Priority and select a shutter speed of at least 1/500 of a second.
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For a portrait featuring a background of softly blurred color, set the camera to aperture priority and use the widest aperture on your lens.
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If you’re photographing children decorating Easter eggs or searching for eggs indoors, use your flash. And if you have a Speedlight that features a tilting flash-head, tilt it up and bounce the light off of the ceiling for a broader, softer light.
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To be a good storyteller you’ll want to capture wide shots, close-ups, even macro shots and portraits.
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Capture candid photos as well as photos where you ask your kids to smile for the camera.
