How to Take Better Photos
How to Take Better Photos of Your Family (A Surprising Lesson from My 7-Year-Old)
The other day, our family spent the afternoon walking around the grounds of an LDS temple.
It’s one of our favorite spring traditions—the flowers are always stunning. It feels like a free flower festival every year.
I only had my iPhone with me, so I snapped a few photos here and there.
Nothing groundbreaking.
Then, on a whim, I handed my phone to my 7-year-old daughter and let her take some photos.
She took about 100.
The Moment That Made Me Rethink Everything About Photography
On the drive home, I started scrolling through the photos she had taken.
Together, we picked out our favorites.
Then I compared them to the handful I had taken earlier.
And… hers were better.
Not just “cute for a kid” better.
Actually better.
More interesting angles.
More personality.
More feeling.
And I just sat there thinking—
How is this possible?
I’m the professional photographer. I get paid to take photos.
And somehow, my 7-year-old completely passed me up.
The “Quantity vs Quality” Photography Lesson
A few days later, I was reading Atomic Habits and came across a story that instantly reminded me of this moment.
A photography professor, Jerry Uelsmann, divided his students into two groups:
The quantity group was graded on how many photos they produced
The quality group was graded on producing one perfect photo
By the end of the semester, something surprising happened:
The best photos came from the quantity group.
Why?
Because they were:
practicing constantly
experimenting with light and composition
learning from mistakes
trying again and again
Meanwhile, the “quality group” spent most of their time thinking about the perfect photo… instead of actually taking photos.
Why Taking More Photos Actually Makes You Better
This is exactly what I saw with my daughter.
She didn’t overthink anything.
She:
took tons of photos
tried different angles
got low to the ground
moved around constantly
She wasn’t worried about getting it “right.”
She was just doing it.
And because of that, she captured moments I completely missed.
The Best Way to Take Better Family Photos (It’s Simpler Than You Think)
I get asked all the time:
“How can I take better photos of my kids and family?”
And here’s my honest answer:
Take more photos.
That’s it.
Not:
a new camera
a complicated course
perfect lighting every time
Just practice.
A Simple Way to Improve Your Photography Starting Today
If you want to get better at photography (especially documenting your family), try this:
Take a lot of photos—more than feels necessary
Don’t overthink each shot
Experiment with angles, light, and distance
Go back and intentionally choose your favorites
Notice what works—and do more of that
Then repeat.
Over and over again.
Because photography—just like any skill—is something you learn by doing.
From Overthinking to Actually Capturing Your Life
So often, we hold ourselves back because we want:
better lighting
a cleaner house
the “perfect” moment
But the truth is—
The magic happens when you stop waiting and start capturing.
Just like my 7-year-old did.
If You Want More Meaningful Photos of Your Family…
Start messy.
Start imperfect.
Start today.
And just keep taking photo
