For the person who considers themselves to be a good photographer, a vacation or business trip is a unique opportunity. This is an instance where you don’t really have to set up an opportunity to take good pictures, and you can instead simply capture the events as they happen. However, there is one little hangup that can prevent many people from getting the kinds of good pictures that they are capable of. That factor is: children.

Now don’t get me wrong; I am not telling you to refrain from bringing your children on vacation with you. Quite the contrary, I think it would be very selfish and petty to exclude your family from your activities simply so that you can concentrate on taking good pictures. Rather, I want to offer a few tips on the subject so that you can bring the kids and take good pictures at the same time.

Use A Tether

One thing you should consider is the use of a tether. I don’t want to use the term “leash“, because that is a term that we usually apply to dogs. Whatever you call it, though, it might be your best option for both your convenience and your children’s safety. No one wants to think about this, but there are many predators out there in society, and it is your responsibility to protect your cubs from them.

So put yourself in this position for a moment: You’re a child abductor or some other kind of predator, and you see a parent with his face stuck to a camera, waiting for that perfect moment to snap a good picture. To a scumbag predator, this is an opportunity. Even if there are no such people around, your children could easily wander off and get lost, which could end up being just as bad.

Include Children In Photos

You can avoid the need for a tether in many cases by including your children in your photos. You might not want to include them in every photo, but go ahead and do it anyway. You can always use photoshop to crop them out later if you want to isolate some other aspect of the picture. The important thing is that, once again, your children remain in your sight so that they cannot wander off or be victimized.

Of course, child photography is almost an art in and of itself. Ava Taylor, of Ava Taylor Adoption, is an expert photographer when it comes to capturing the best images of children and babies. If you want to get an expert opinion on your work or a few tips, you might consider going to Ava Taylor Adoption and checking out her blog.

Travel With Another Adult

Another thing that can help you a lot is to bring another adult who can serve as monitor and bodyguard while you focus on capturing those perfect sights unhindered. Personally, I would recommend bringing a large, intimidating man so as to discourage anyone who might wish to take advantage of your distraction. However, you should also choose someone who is good with children so that they keep the young ones occupied while you concentrate on those little details that separate a good picture from a great picture.

Of course, all of this assumes that your photography outing is a recreational trip. I think it should be obvious that a non-recreational photography trip is probably not a good place to take your kids. For instance, let’s say you work for a magazine and you are being sent to a remote or dangerous location. Obviously, you cannot bring your kids with you no matter how much you might miss them!