logo photography by valentina - maternity and newborn photographer london

Photography Games for children to do at home

During this lockdown, I was honoured to be invited from Kate of Hello Mums to one of her coffee breaks.

Table of Contents hide
1 So what photography activities could you do with your children at the moment?
1.1 N.1 is surely a Photo Scavenger Hunt!
1.2 N.2 Photograph Toys and Make a Story Book
1.3 N.3 Stop motion videos

She asked me to talk about how children can use photography in their activities. You can watch the chat here

https://fb.watch/4Exl6jzbs0/

But just in case you don’t have time to watch it now I will quickly sum up.

Are you ready?

So what photography activities could you do with your children at the moment?

N.1 is surely a Photo Scavenger Hunt!

This is funny, kids of every age will enjoy it, I’m sure.

  • Prepare a list with objects to photograph. I would suggest about 5-6 to start with if you have a toddler and about 15 for school-age children.
  • For toddlers and children who cannot read yet use colours, shapes or simply draw (or print out) things they are familiar with and have to look for.
photography-games-for-children-list of objects to photograph
  • For older children, you can get more creative! You know your children best so you will know how to challenge them. You can write a specific list of object you can find around the house (or/and garden), you can ask for objects starting with a specific letter or of a specific shape. Or you can ask to photograph two things that thyme together. This will get their brain to work! 😉
  • If there are siblings get them both involved! Maybe one could photograph a list of things but only a little detail and the other one has to guess what it is! This could be quite fun!
photography games for children: girl photographing an item from a photo scavenger hunt.
My daughter had surely fun running around to find and looking for all the items

N.2 Photograph Toys and Make a Story Book

Ask your child to grab his/her favourite toy and to go on an adventure!

Allow your child to take the lead and come up with a great plot, taking the toy around the house or in the garden or out to your daily walk.

Take photos while your child is holding teddy and jumping off the couch saying “let’s fly Teddy!” or a photo while Mr Dinosaur is chasing a little toy car and your child is narrating the scene.

Remember what they say and then go to Canva (it’s free), upload the photos and add your child’s lines and some funny stickers. Then print it out and you will have a wonderful personalised book to read a bedtime.

I think this is a great idea esecially for the little one!

N.3 Stop motion videos

This is the grown up version of the previous activity. While little one will take a toy for an adventure, school-age children can create their own movie independently!

They could use an app called Stop Motion or I believe Lego has a similar feature in its app.

But even a slideshow of the different photos they take with special filters and effects is surely something that will keep them busy for a while 😉

I hope this blog gave you some ideas and you are now inspired to try something out. And show me the photos tagging me on the social media!

Facebook or Instagram.

Posted in photography, Tips & Ideas

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There is something special that happens when you hold a printed album for the first time.

Its weight.
The texture under your fingers.
The sound of the pages turning.
The way the images look back at you, solid and real, in a way a screen never quite manages.

A digital file exists somewhere.

A printed album IS somewhere. You can feel the difference.

This is a newborn album. Leatherette cover, gold embossed text, lay flat pages that let every image breathe.

It is the final chapter of a session, the moment everything we created together becomes something you can live, enjoy and pass down.

This is why, after a shoot, a printed product is never an afterthought for me. It is the whole point.

And it is also why I am not the right photographer for everyone. If you are looking for a gallery of just digitals and nothing more, I would gently point you elsewhere.

But if you want something you can hold, something that feels like it truly exists, something your child will one day open and say this was us, then we should talk.

Newborn photography in Richmond and Twickenham.

25 2
Open post by by_valentina with ID 18132145309595634
There is something special that happens when you hold a printed album for the first time. Its weight. The texture under your fingers. The sound of the pages turning. The way the images look back at you, solid and real, in a way a screen never quite manages. A digital file exists somewhere. A printed album IS somewhere. You can feel the difference. This is a newborn album. Leatherette cover, gold embossed text, lay flat pages that let every image breathe. It is the final chapter of a session, the moment everything we created together becomes something you can live, enjoy and pass down. This is why, after a shoot, a printed product is never an afterthought for me. It is the whole point. And it is also why I am not the right photographer for everyone. If you are looking for a gallery of just digitals and nothing more, I would gently point you elsewhere. But if you want something you can hold, something that feels like it truly exists, something your child will one day open and say this was us, then we should talk. Newborn photography in Richmond and Twickenham.

For years I have strived for minimalism in my photos. Even when everyone was putting babies in baskets and flowers and that seemed like the only way to do it.

And lately I have been reflecting on that choice even more. It was right for me then. And it feels even more right now.

Especially in a world where everything is loud, fast and AI-generated. What cuts through all of that is not a prop or a set. It is a moment. A real one.

Holding your baby in your arms. The most precious thing you will ever hold. Staying in that stillness. The way the whole world seems to shrink down to just this, the small weight, the tiny face, this brand new person who has already changed everything in you.

These are the moments I get to witness.
And they never, ever get ordinary.

21 3
Open post by by_valentina with ID 17936289762257427
For years I have strived for minimalism in my photos. Even when everyone was putting babies in baskets and flowers and that seemed like the only way to do it. And lately I have been reflecting on that choice even more. It was right for me then. And it feels even more right now. Especially in a world where everything is loud, fast and AI-generated. What cuts through all of that is not a prop or a set. It is a moment. A real one. Holding your baby in your arms. The most precious thing you will ever hold. Staying in that stillness. The way the whole world seems to shrink down to just this, the small weight, the tiny face, this brand new person who has already changed everything in you. These are the moments I get to witness. And they never, ever get ordinary.

After 15 years, so much of what I do is on autopilot.

I look for the gorgeous light and read the baby. I know when to wait and when to act. And I do it without thinking.

But the moment someone is beside me, watching, learning, everything slows down. I have to find words for things I stopped noticing years ago. And in doing that, I remember how it felt at the beginning. The insecurities. The fear of getting it wrong. The weight of feeling like you should already know. The comparison with others.

Teaching reminds me how much courage it takes to learn something new and how gently we should treat ourselves while we do.

If you are starting out, in any field, well done. Truly. I know how hard and lonely those first steps can be. But you don’t have to take them alone.

And if you are a photographer thinking about a one to one newborn training day in my Twickenham studio,I would love to be part of your journey.
Link in bio.

28 4
Open post by by_valentina with ID 17949340839173898
After 15 years, so much of what I do is on autopilot. I look for the gorgeous light and read the baby. I know when to wait and when to act. And I do it without thinking. But the moment someone is beside me, watching, learning, everything slows down. I have to find words for things I stopped noticing years ago. And in doing that, I remember how it felt at the beginning. The insecurities. The fear of getting it wrong. The weight of feeling like you should already know. The comparison with others. Teaching reminds me how much courage it takes to learn something new and how gently we should treat ourselves while we do. If you are starting out, in any field, well done. Truly. I know how hard and lonely those first steps can be. But you don’t have to take them alone. And if you are a photographer thinking about a one to one newborn training day in my Twickenham studio,I would love to be part of your journey. Link in bio.

Six weeks ago I shared a glimpse behind the scenes of this session. Today, you get to see what we made.

She arrived with her props already chosen.

Nude stockings. The kind her mother wore. The ones women mended rather than replaced.

She knew exactly what she wanted to say.
My job was simply to hold the space and let her say it.

This is what a portrait session can be.
Not a makeover or a way to fit an idea of beauty. But a conversation between a woman and her own story, made visible.

Dyana is an artist, activist and doula. She explores identity, the body, and everything that lives between and beyond definition.

I am grateful I had the chance to photograph her.

88 20
Open post by by_valentina with ID 17861247726689326
Six weeks ago I shared a glimpse behind the scenes of this session. Today, you get to see what we made. She arrived with her props already chosen. Nude stockings. The kind her mother wore. The ones women mended rather than replaced. She knew exactly what she wanted to say. My job was simply to hold the space and let her say it. This is what a portrait session can be. Not a makeover or a way to fit an idea of beauty. But a conversation between a woman and her own story, made visible. Dyana is an artist, activist and doula. She explores identity, the body, and everything that lives between and beyond definition. I am grateful I had the chance to photograph her.

Tomorrow I have a newborn session and a 1:1 training day with a photographer travelling from Switzerland to spend the day with me.

But before any of that, the work had already started.
It starts with a conversation. Learning about your birth, your family, how things have been since you came home. Then comes the studio prep, making sure the space is warm, clean and ready for someone very new to the world, with attention to every small thing that makes a family feel safe and held.

After 15 years, this is still how I do it. Every time.
That same care is what I pass on when I teach.

If you are a parent looking for a photographer who takes this seriously, or a photographer thinking about training, this is what I stand for.

📩 Links in bio for both.

22 3
Open post by by_valentina with ID 18100153727039017
Tomorrow I have a newborn session and a 1:1 training day with a photographer travelling from Switzerland to spend the day with me. But before any of that, the work had already started. It starts with a conversation. Learning about your birth, your family, how things have been since you came home. Then comes the studio prep, making sure the space is warm, clean and ready for someone very new to the world, with attention to every small thing that makes a family feel safe and held. After 15 years, this is still how I do it. Every time. That same care is what I pass on when I teach. If you are a parent looking for a photographer who takes this seriously, or a photographer thinking about training, this is what I stand for. 📩 Links in bio for both.

She almost didn’t come.

She told me she wasn’t feeling confident.
That she didn’t know how to pose.
That maybe I should photograph someone else.

I hear this more than you’d think. From women who are more reserved and introvert but also the ones who are funny and so alive in person. Women who have simply spent too long seeing themselves in a fixed way.

We spent a morning together. Just her, the light, and a space where nothing needed to be fixed or hidden.

The woman in these photos? She was there all along.

If you’ve been telling yourself a similar story, I’d gently ask you this: what if you’re wrong too?

48 10
Open post by by_valentina with ID 18093137645180251
She almost didn’t come. She told me she wasn’t feeling confident. That she didn’t know how to pose. That maybe I should photograph someone else. I hear this more than you’d think. From women who are more reserved and introvert but also the ones who are funny and so alive in person. Women who have simply spent too long seeing themselves in a fixed way. We spent a morning together. Just her, the light, and a space where nothing needed to be fixed or hidden. The woman in these photos? She was there all along. If you’ve been telling yourself a similar story, I’d gently ask you this: what if you’re wrong too?
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VALE@PHOTOGRAPHYBYVALENTINA.COM

07577 978246

LONDON NEWBORN & MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHER

Based in Richmond, I work with families across London to capture life’s most meaningful milestones through portrait photography.