I have four kids and have taken thousands of pictures over the years. Given my photography skills, though, not too many of them turn out print-worthy. Thank goodness for digital photography and the ability to delete the bad ones. Delete, delete, delete. Can you relate?

On my quest to take better pictures and capture these little creatures of mine before they’re all grown up, I decided to seek advice from my friend Kara Raudenbush of Lens Friends Studios. Lens Friends is a DIY photo studio that lets us amateurs use the studio’s camera, lighting and props to pretend we are real photographers.

Kara’s advice was so good I just had to share it with you all.

Eight Tips of the Trade:

Tip #1: Distraction is the key; make it fun and not a chore. The day I went to visit Kara, my niece and kids were off from school and had to tag along. They naturally gave me a hard time that they had to go to my “work” on their day off, but now they will tell you honestly they had a great time and can’t wait to go back. My kids loved the props, which made getting their cooperation so much easier. I not only got lots of silly photos where the kids were in their glory (not a bad day at work with mom), but because they were having fun they also appeased me and let me get a few good ones without props. It was a win-win situation, and that’s what I aim for all the time, especially with my children. But it wouldn’t have happened if I had made them do it entirely on my terms.

Tip #2: Have fun with your camera angles. It doesn’t have to be straight on. This one is pretty easy, and it suits my crazy life since I usually have a kid hanging on me. Shooting from a different angle works well with my lifestyle these days.

Tip #3: Fill your frame with the subject, especially those sweet angel faces. Photos capture emotion, and close-ups create a connection between the subject and the viewer. This works best when the subject is captured from a little bit of a distance, so that the camera isn’t right in their face (a lens with a bit of a zoom helps). And remember, if you didn’t fill the frame when you took the picture, with digital photography you can always crop it later and make it look like you did.

Tip #4: Use a flash outdoors. I never would have thought of this one, but it works. Take a look at your outdoor shots and see if the faces are marked by shadows. I guess it is time for me to take my camera off the Auto settings and actually play around like a real photographer. I can’t believe I just put me and real photographer in the same sentence, but that is what Kara really makes me and her clients feel like. It’s pretty cool.

Tip #5: Put your subjects far in front of special landmarks you want in the picture. Amateur photographers tend to place their subjects at the foot of the scenes they wish to capture, and then either the subjects are too small in the picture or you can only see part of the landmark. With this technique, both the subject and the landmark are of similar scale. You can also set them off center.

Tip #6: When you set up groups, stagger their heads to avoid them being stacked one on top of each other. With large groups, everyone crowds in and then tries to get their head free and visible, but inevitably someone gets blocked. Taking a moment to intentionally stagger their positioning improves the likelihood everyone will be seen. We had our annual family picture this past weekend, and I used this tip when the picture was being set up. Imagine this: 25 of us, including 15 kids under the age of 11. Pass me the Excedrin now! I actually love the chaos and the kids’ laughter, but getting us all together to take a photo is always a challenge so we want to be sure we get it right.

Tip #7: The sun is most forgiving in the morning and evening for portraits. No more raccoon eyes or squinty eyes. We can all use all the help we can get. This is a trick of the trade, for sure.

Tip #8: Learn how your camera works and get some editing software like Adobe Elements 10. Play and have fun with it. Practice makes perfect, and that’s truth with learning editing software as well. But oh the magic that can be done!

Three mistakes amateurs often make:

Mistake #1: Shooting too far away. I’m guilty of this one. I need a better zoom lense, I think.

Mistake #2: Waiting for the perfect smile and pose. Some of the best shots are not staged. Just get snapping, you might get lucky.

Mistake #3: Expecting your kids to do what you want. Welcome to parenthood, right? Sometimes the best approach is to let them lead the way.

So now it’s time for me (and you, too) to put into practice some of these tips from our expert. The greatest takeaway for me is to make it fun, so I won’t have to hear the dreaded, “Mom, more pictures?!?”

I asked Kara what is her favorite part of having Lens Friends studio and she said, without hesitation, “I love to see how empowered and creative the kids are when they come in here. It feels so good for the kids to do it themselves.” I get it. My Molly, age 10, took the picture of Gavin with the skateboard. They were working together, taking turns dressing up and taking pictures and then cooperated with me when I asked for a few “non-silly” ones too.

Thanks, Kara, for all the help! And for my readers in the Philadelphia area, make sure to pay Lens Friends a visit. You will be glad you did.