Children’s birthdays are very important events to most people. Capturing the birthday photos are the only long lasting mementos you will possibly have, so putting some effort into your photo taking skills will go a long way. Here are a few tips that will help you cover the basics in making sure you end up with good photo sets that will evoke dear memories in the future.
- Assign the photo taking task to someone
The best idea is to hire a professional photographer, but if you can’t do that, you have to make sure that at least one trustworthy person at the party is responsible for taking photos. It can be a photo-savvy friend or someone with a good eye. In any case, don’t expect to have the time to be the mommy, the 
party host, the caterer, and the photographer all at the same time. Delegate and relax.
- Use good equipment
If you don’t want to end up with blurry, grainy, and out of focus bleak photos, you want to make sure you use the best quality photo equipment you can lay your hands on. Someone in your circle probably owns a good camera, so borrowing it or having that person be the photographer for the day is an option. Renting a professional camera could be another option. If you have your own photo equipment, make sure you keep up with regular maintenance to ensure it lasts long and performs as new.
- Take lots of pre-party photos
Everything from the decorations, the cake, and the birthday kid will look best just before the party starts. Since you’ve probably put a lot of effort into making everything look good, make sure you snap a lot of photos while it’s still picture perfect. Aim for the details – balloons, the untouched cake, candles, clean birthday outfits, and so on. You deserve to have proof of your decoration skills.
- Prioritize people
The star of the party is of course the birthday boy or girl, so you will need to follow them around quite a bit. Snap away even if the situation is less than ideal; get their face expressions to capture emotions. Use zoom and action mode, which stops shutter delay, so you don’t miss out on important moments. Get photos of the birthday child with the most important people, like their parents and grandparents, their best friends, and have them pose for group photos. Focus on portraits in some photos and on the 
overall atmosphere in others.
- Have continuity and don’t skip any party highlights
It is important to tell the photo story of the entire party, so photos will have to be taken with some continuity (without gaps). There should be the beginning, the middle, and the end. In order to have some amazing birthday images, capturing the highlights is a must – the cake, blowing candles, birthday song, and opening presents. Plan ahead, know your timing, and make sure you get a good spot where no one will get in front of you. You can use a tripod or climb on a chair to get a bird’s-eye view.
