30 Tips for Taking the Best Street Art Photos with Kids

If you've been following Little Hiccups for a while, especially on Instagram, then you'll know that I'm a big fan of street art - and an even bigger fan of taking photos of my kids with street art! Shots of my kids with colorful murals have kind of become my signature post over the years.

Now, I'm far from being a pro when it comes to photography, but I do take a LOT of photos of my kids with murals, so today I thought I'd share some of my tips for getting all sorts of fun shots. Because I'm not a photographer you know that these are all things you'll be able to easily replicate yourself with minimal photography skills. Whether you're shooting with a DSLR or phone camera all of these tips are ideas that you can use. You know what? These even all work for getting fun pics of your kids even if there's not a mural in the background too. But life is always more fun with more color!

This is a long post because I have so many tips for you and a lot of inspiration photos to share. Make sure to save it. If you scroll to the bottom you'll find some Pinterest posts you can save for later.

So, read on for all my best tips for capturing fun and colorful shot of your kids... 

1. Rule of thirds

Are you familiar with the rule of thirds? It's a pretty basic photography principal.  Whether you're shooting with a camera or a phone, you'll have the option to turn on a grid. This grid will divide the screen into thirds both in portrait and landscape formats. A good rule of thumb is to place the photos subject along one of the grid lines. This will draw the eye to subject. In particular, I like to make sure that the subject is lined up along one the grid lines with them facing towards the other two third of the image. It tends to look a little off if they're facing out of the photo. 

2. Center alignment

Ok, now forget everything I said in the last section! Well, not really, but while I am a stickler for the rule of thirds, I do sometimes like to stick the subject smack bang in the middle of my mural photos. It really depends on what the mural is as to whether or not I think this works, but it's always good to mix things up. You don't want all of your photos to end up looking like they have the same layout. 

3. Have your kids step forward

When you're taking photos with a mural it can be very tempting to stand right up against the wall. This isn't necessarily bad, and sometimes if there's limited space it's the only option, but it can make for pretty flat looking photos. I usually get my kids to stand a few feet away from the wall. This way I can create a little more depth in the photo and it gives space for movement. It also means that I can ensure that the kids aren't blocking certain parts of the mural that I want to include in the photo - or on the flipside, block parts that I don't want to feature. It also helps with lining them up with certain features of the mural, for example, those popular murals with wings. Those are usually too high for kids to pose with unless they stand further forward. Play around with the spacing to see what works best for each mural and your kids.

4. Lean against the mural

Ok, I know I just said that I don't like to position my kids right up against a mural, but I do like to mix things up so my photos aren't always taken in the same way, so sometimes I do have them stand right up against the wall. When we do this I like to add depth to the photo in other ways. Shooting on an angle or having your kids lean against the side of the mural works a treat.

5. Jump shot

A jump shot is always a classic! My tips for capturing a great jump shot are to have your kids stand a few feet away from the wall and have them jump with their knees bent and their arms up. They'll get more air this way than if they jump straight or like a jumping jack. To get the most height, get down low to shoot. You can also have them jump off something like the curb too. Shooting on burst mode is helpful to capture a shot at the top of the jump. Don't worry if it takes quite a few shots to capture a good jump. For every jump shot I share there are usually about twenty dud shots of the kids mid-jump or landing!

6. Spin around

Spinning is a great way to create movement and interest in a photo, especially if the subject is wearing a twirly dress or skirt! Like capturing jump shots, this one may take a little time, but using burst mode on your camera or phone will definitely help. Just like the jump shot, have your kids stand a few feet forward of the mural so they have plenty of space to twirl. The addition of movement like this really takes a photo up a notch.

 

7. Get down to their level
This is a great option for little kids. Often when your kids are small it's kind of tricky to get the whole mural into a shot with them without standing really far back. But that's not always practical - or safe with toddlers. So instead, my tip is to have them stand as far forward as possible and get down low to shoot upwards. This way you'll get a nice close up of them and capture the whole wall as well.

8. Pull funny faces

I know we all want photos with nice natural smiles, but that can get a little stale. And those smiles don't always look so natural, especially when kids aren't feeling up to it. This is when pulling silly faces comes in! Most kids love pulling silly faces and you'll find that you'll be able to capture much more natural shots when you let them get a little silly. Duckface has long been a favorite over here so you'll see that a lot in my photos. Just remember to keep it appropriate to the mural that you're posing with. If it's a memorial for someone who has passed or a historic event, then silly faces are not a good idea. See tip 18 for what I do in these cases.

9. Have fun with silly poses
I've already mentioned pulling funny faces, but the silliness doesn't have to be limited to sticking out tongues or pulling a duck face. Having your kids pose in silly ways adds an extra layer of interest and you're more likely to get genuine smiles. It adds movement and extra depth to your photos and the kids are sure to have fun. What kids doesn't love being silly? Just like with silly faces, make sure to keep it respectful when it comes to murals that serve a memorial purpose. 

10. Interact with the mural

This is one of my favorite ways to add interest to a mural photo. Why just stand next to a mural when you can interact with it? How this looks depends on the mural. It could be reaching up to touch part of the mural, reacting to what is happening in the mural, watching what is happening in the mural, copying the poses of characters in the mural... Take your cues from the mural and have fun!

11. Add action to the shot

I've already mentioned adding jumps and spins to your photos, but any action adds more interest. It could be a big karate kick, waving, running or walking towards the camera, a little wiggle... Even just a hair flick or head shake that adds movement in their hair will add interest. If your kid is wearing a twirly dress or skirt take a cue from fashion influencers and have them hold it out to the side and drop it as you snap the pic. This will add some fun movement in their outfit.

12. Copy poses in the mural

When a mural features people you can add an element of fun to the photo by having your kids copy the poses on the wall. It can be as simple as standing in the same positions, copying an action or pulling the same face. 

13. Get Close up

You don't have to capture an entire mural in your picture for it to make an interesting shot. Focusing on  a small area can be just as fun. Find a part of a mural that captures your imagination and shoot close up with it. If the mural is up high, make sure to use tip number 7 and get down low to shoot. If you choose the right part of a mural it can make a great backdrop for close up portraits where you want the focus to only be on on your child.

14. Zoom out

Likewise, it's fun to capture some shots that do feature the entire mural, even if it means that your kids will be teeny tiny and not the main focus of the shot. You'll generally need to stand back pretty far for this option so use caution if you have very young kids who are not so good at staying put. Shooting on an angle or getting down low (maybe even both) is a handy way to capture more of the mural in your shot.

15. Elevate their position

Posing on the ground doesn't always work the best when you're taking pics of large murals, especially if they start a little higher up the wall. You can always get down low and shoot from underneath as I've mentioned earlier, but if there happens to be something that you can safely elevate your kids on that works a treat too. Maybe it might be a ledge on the wall that they can sit on, a nearby electrical box or bike rack that they can climb up, or even the mural wall itself. 

16. Play with angles

Just because a mural is on a straight wall doesn't mean you need to shoot your photo straight on. I like to mix things up and shoot on an angle. This especially works well if there are straight lines in the mural or if I'm capturing the edge of the wall or the sidewalk in the shot. You'll also be able to capture more of the mural in your shot this way. Think outside the box when it comes to angles. You might find angles in shadows that add a little extra something to the shot too.

17. Create your own angles

I mentioned playing with angles that you find in the mural or surrounding area, but you can also add interest by creating angles with poses! My kids went through a stage in which they dabbed every time I brought the camera out. It was a little frustrating but it did add some interesting angles to the photos. You can also create angles by having your kid lean against the wall with one knee up, standing with their legs out wide, leaning to the side, putting their hands on their hips, or whatever it is that Mathilde is doing in that doorway pic below!

18. Kids looking at the mural

Sometimes murals are used as a memorial for a person who has passed or an historical event. When it comes to shooting pics with these sorts of murals I prefer not to have my kids staring at the camera smiling as it can feel disrespectful. But, at the same time, I still want to share a picture to honor the person or moment captured in the mural. This is when I'll shoot my kids looking at the mural instead. Usually I'll do this from behind with the mural as the focal point. There are also times when I'll shoot my kids looking at the mural even if it's a fun and happy one simply because it makes for a more interesting picture.

19. Use props

Using props in your photos can be a great way to add extra detail. I quite like using food as a prop. It's also a great way to distract the kids if they're not feeling up to posing - especially if it's a yummy treat! Umbrellas, books, magazines, sunglasses, flowers and toys also make great props. If you use your imagination pretty much anything can become a photo prop. Pick up a stick and make it a wand to zap some colorful magic onto the wall. You could also use props to interact with the mural, for example, taking a pic of your kid taking a pic!

20. Capture the surrounds

Including some of the streetscape to mural pics adds a little more interest. I find that this works especially well if you happen to catch other people walking in the background as this adds a little action to the shot. Including a little of the surroundings is also a great way to remember where you took the photo and it adds a sense of scale. 

21. Interact with surroundings

This one kind of incorporates the last two tips together. You've probably noticed by now that many of the pics I'm sharing in this post feature several of my tips. That's the great thing about photography - you can mix and match many different styles! This one is all about the location and what happens to be near the mural that can be used as a prop. Maybe there's a railing that the kids can swing on or climb. Or seating set up nearby. Adding an extra element like this is great for adding more depth and interest to the shot and you'll be more likely to get candid shots.

22. Become part of the mural

Ok, not literally becoming part of the mural, but I find it fun when the kids kind of blend in with the characters or people in a mural. If there's a line up of characters in the mural have them stand in line too. Have them replicate the poses in the mural so it looks a little more like they're a part of the action. You can also pose your kids forward so that large characters on a mural look like they're part of a group shot, like the photo below. When I shared this one to Instagram I pretended the girl in the mural was Ava as she wasn't with us that day - and she also happened to have pink hair at the time! 

23. Let them play

When there's lots of space by a mural you can add extra interest to your shot by letting the kids play. Maybe they can have a dance competition, play "Ring around the Rosie", balance on curb or raised area, swing from from a nearby bar, do fun high fives with each other, collect rocks and sticks... Pretty much anything that captures their attention and adds a little movement. You're sure to get great smiles if you let them play too!

24. Walking past the mural

A great way to add some action to your mural shot is to shoot a pic of your kids walking past it. I prefer to take these sorts of shots on an angle, but they work well front on too. Your kids can be looking at the mural or even ignoring it and it still looks great. If your photo includes more than one kid make sure to space them out so that they can both be seen while still incorporating the parts of the mural you want to capture. This works great with scooters, skateboards, bikes, etc too.

25. Dress to match

Ok, if you plan this one intentionally you'll need to be quite organized with outfits and knowing where you plan on taking pics, but sometimes it just happens as a pleasant surprise. Actually, that's always the case when my kids match the mural as I'm definitely not prepared enough to coordinate outfits! Maybe it might not be a matching color but a similar pattern. You might also find that the color of their outfit picks up on an accent color in the mural rather than matching the main color.

26. Not looking at camera
Just because you're taking a photo of your kids doesn't mean they have to be looking at the camera. I like to capture more candid shots and often that means that my kids are looking elsewhere in the photo. They may be front and center in the photo, but that doesn't mean they have to be looking forward. Have your kids looking at each other, at the mural or even slightly out of shot as if something out of view has caught their attention. This is a great option for when you want a photo to look a little poignant, especially if the mural features a memorial.

27. Get in the pic too!

As the photographer in our family I'm very rarely in front of the camera myself. I'm usually just taking photos of the kids. I know this is true for many other moms too. It's important for us to get in front of the camera as well. While you're taking pics of your kids with murals make sure to get in a few yourself too. You can either ask another person to take the pic for you, or use the self timer on your phone or camera with a tripod. Propping your phone or camera on something nearby like rocks or a fence usually does the trick too. I purchased myself this handy gimble that doubles as a tripod for Christmas so I can make more of an effort to get in the shot as well.

28. Revisit the same murals to see how much the kids have grown
If there's a mural you love in your home town, or even just a location that you visit every now and then, it's a fun idea to take multiple photos of your kids with it over the years. This is a fun visual reminder of how much they're growing and changing. Mathilde loved the coyotes on this mural that we'd pass every day when we lived in Berkeley and she'd always want to stop and talk to them. Over the years I captured her growing up alongside her favorite coyotes. I do the same here in Colorado with the mural in the top photo in this post. If you look carefully you'll actually see that the cover of the magazine she's reading features an older photo of her in front of the same mural!

  

29. Credit the artist

Ok, so this one isn't a photography tip, but it is something to keep in mind when sharing your photos on social media if you share them publicly. I always like to credit the artist who created the mural featured in my photos. To me, it just feels like the right thing to do. In this post I've shared the artists' names in the title of each pic. That took almost as long as writing the whole post! Now, sometimes it can be tricky to find out who the artist is, but for the most part you can usually find the artist's name or social media handle on the mural itself. It's generally in the bottom corner or may even be integrated into the mural itself. I'll often take a photo of the name so I've got it to look back on later when sharing the picture. For the most part though, I've taken so many mural pics locally that I recognize the artist right away!

 

30. Fart jokes get smiles!

My number one tip for any photos I'm taking of my kids! It may sound a little crass, but if I want a big genuine smile or laughing in my photos I'll make a fart joke. It's guaranteed to get results. What can I say? Farts are funny! 

And that's it! If you find these tips helpful please share this post. Thanks!

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