How to Get Sharp Photos of Toddlers
Toddlerhood is truly one of my favorite stages of life. They are tiny, curious, hilarious, unpredictable, and extremely fast humans. They also seem to have a personal mission to outrun your camera! If you have ever tried to photograph your toddler and ended up with a blurry little streak across the frame, or a toddler “smile” (grimace) you are not alone.
The good news is this: most terrible toddler photos are not because your camera isn’t good enough, or because of the terrible twos!
They happen because your camera settings aren’t set up for erratic, moving kids yet. Once you understand a few simple adjustments, photographing toddlers becomes much easier.
In this post I’m going to walk you through:
- The camera settings that help you get sharp toddler photos
- Autofocus settings for both DSLR and mirrorless cameras
- A few simple tricks for getting real smiles instead of “say cheese” faces
- What to do if you’re photographing your toddler with a phone
Watch: How to Get Sharp Toddler Photos
If you’d rather see these settings in action, I walk through everything step-by-step in this video:
Why Your Toddler Photos Are Blurry
If your toddler photos look blurry or otherwisw terrible, one of these three things is usually happening.
1. Your shutter speed is too slow
Toddlers move quickly, and slower shutter speeds simply can’t freeze that motion.
2. Your autofocus isn’t tracking movement
If your camera is set to single autofocus instead of continuous autofocus, or isn;t using the right kind of area mode, it will struggle to keep your child in focus.
3. Your toddler is moving unpredictably
Kids move toward you, away from you, and all over the frame. Your camera needs the right settings to keep up.
The good news is that once you understand the right camera setup, these problems are very fixable.
Shutter Speed
If your toddler looks blurry in photos, the first thing to check is your shutter speed. Shutter speed controls how long light is allowed to enter your camera lens and how fast your camera captures movement. Because toddlers move quickly, you need your camera to “blink” fast enough to freeze that motion.
Recommended shutter speeds for toddlers
- Walking toddler: 1/500
- Active toddler: 1/800
- Running toddler: 1/1000 or faster
If your toddler is constantly on the move, 1/1000 is a fantastic default.
This may mean raising your ISO slightly or opening your aperture wider to compensate for the amount of light available. That’s completely okay. A little grain or a bokeh background is almost always better than motion blur. (For more on this, check this post.)
The Autofocus Settings That Help Your Camera Keep Up
The second major reason toddler photos look terrible is focusing errors! Your camera needs to continuously adjust focus as your child moves, and it is really easy for it to miss the focus if you don’t have the right settings in!
DSLR Autofocus Settings (Older Cameras)
If you’re using a DSLR like a Canon 5D or 6D series, rebel, or similar camera, try these settings.
- Autofocus mode: AI Servo (Canon) or AF-C (Nikon/Sony). This tells your camera to continuously refocus while your child moves.
- Focus Area Mode: Use a larger field of autofocus points so your camera can find the movement faster/easier.
DSLR autofocus systems are excellent, but they do require you to actively guide the focus point so instead of moving a single point around and hunting yourself (while also dealing with engaging your toddlers and nailing exposure settings) just open that area mode up to cover more ground and give your camera a bit more creative freedom.
Mirrorless Autofocus Settings (Newer Cameras)
If you’re using a newer mirrorless camera like my Canon R6 Mark II or a Sony cam, things get a little easier, but a lot more confusing at the same time!
Many mirrorless cameras now include subject detection and eye tracking in autofocus features.
Recommended settings:
- Autofocus mode: Servo AF / AF-C
- Subject detection set to People
- Eye detection ON
- Whole area Tracking: ON if you want to give your camera more control, off if you want to toggle autofocus points around your composition for a bit more control.
With these settings turned on, your camera can actually recognize your child’s face and track their eye automatically, even if they move around the frame. It’s honestly one of the biggest quality-of-life improvements in modern cameras! IF you keep the whole area tracking off like I do, you will need to toggle whatever focusing points you have chosen to tell it what person you want it to look for, but as long as that person stays near your selected area, it will keep following their eyes.
Drive Mode
Toddlers change expressions incredibly quickly! Switch your camera’s drive mode to a continuous shooting mode (burst mode in low or high) so your camera takes several photos in rapid succession any time you press the shutter.
Instead of capturing one moment, you capture a short sequence. This dramatically increases your chances of catching the perfect smile, laugh, or expression. I like low continuous to cut down on the number of photos I am taking, but high is helpful!
How to Get Sharp Toddler Photos With Your Phone
If you’re photographing your toddler with your phone, the same basic idea still applies. Kids move quickly, so you want your phone to capture motion as clearly as possible. Here are two simple tips that can make a big difference.
Skip Portrait Mode for Active Toddlers
Portrait mode can create beautiful images, but it isn’t always the best choice when kids are moving quickly. Because portrait mode is doing extra work behind the scenes to simulate background blur, it can sometimes produce slightly softer images when your child moves AND take longer to create the photo.
If your toddler is running, jumping, or constantly wiggling, try switching back to regular photo mode instead. You will usually get a sharper image.
Turn On Live Photos
One of my favorite tricks when photographing toddlers with a phone is using Live Photos. When Live Photos is turned on, your phone records about 1.5 seconds of motion before and after the photo. That means instead of one frame, you get a tiny burst of images.
After taking the photo you can:
- Open the photo in your camera roll
- Tap Edit
- Scroll through the frames
- Select the sharpest or cutest moment as the key photo
This is incredibly helpful when photographing toddlers because their expressions change so quickly. Instead of hoping you pressed the shutter at the exact right moment, you can simply choose the best frame afterward. The caveat is that you’ll be using more storage space with live photos, so use sparingly!
Now for the Real Secret: Stop Asking Them to Smile
Camera settings matter. But the biggest difference in toddler photography actually comes from how you interact with your child. Toddlers rarely give genuine smiles when we say:
“Say cheese!”
In fact, the smile they do give usually looks a bit like a grimace. Instead, try prompts and games.
Prompt Instead of Pose
Try prompts like:
- “Do you have any jokes that might make me laugh?”
- “Can you jump with me?”
Games keep toddlers engaged and create real expressions instead of forced smiles.
The “Animal in the Camera” Trick
This trick works surprisingly well. Look through your camera and say:
“Did you know there’s a (puppy, cat, frog, etc) that lives inside my camera?”
Ask them to look closely and tell them that the animal sometimes comes out when you’re smiling at the camera. Then suddenly make the animal sound! You’ll often get a genuine laugh. I have even gone as far as putting a photo of a cat on my memory card to prove he lives in there.
If You Want a Portrait, Let Them Sit
If you’re hoping for a more traditional portrait, one trick that works well is having your toddler sit on a small stool or chair. When their feet are barely off the ground, it makes it harder for them to jump up immediately. Often you’ll get 10-20 seconds of calm, which is sometimes all you need.
If You’re Trying to Be in the Photo Too
Two tricks that almost always get great reactions:
Jump together
A gentle bounce or small jump with your toddler often leads to big laughter.
Run into the frame
If someone else is photographing you, try running out of frame and then running back in while holding your child. Kids usually think this is hilarious, don’t ask me why! Avoid tickling in either of these “poses” because it will make your child curl up and hide to avoid being tickled.
One Last Reminder
Photographing toddlers can feel chaotic. It’s unpredictable. Often it’s messy.
But it’s also one of the most meaningful ways we document life with our children. Learning how to use your camera is not about crafting perfect photos of every moment. I can actually guarantee you that your camera roll is going to be filled with a lot less than “perfect” expressions, compositions, and exposures. BUT, you’re gaining the confidence to capture your life as it unfolds.
The photos you take today become the memories your family will hold onto for decades. And that is always worth it.
If you want to learn how to confidently use your camera to photograph your family, my course Manual Mode for Moms walks you through everything step-by-step! See more info my clicking the button below.