Since I’m quickly approaching that time of year when I will be serving cake and ice cream to the multitudes for my daughter’s first birthday, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble across a great post about photographing kids’ birthday parties over at Digital Photography School.

I am well aware that parties can be chaotic at times, with everyone moving about (including the child you are trying to photograph), backgrounds full of clutter and little time to set up a decent shot, much less time to simply pick up the camera, between throwing away wrapping paper and wiping up spilled punch, to get the shot. But don’t be overwhelmed by the thought of being the birthday party photographer — we’re here to help. Read on to find out some easy tips for taking great party shots that are sure to bring back wonderful memories of the big day.

As the author of the Digital Photography School blog suggests, “Parties present us with a lot of emotion, interaction, color and energy — the highs and a few lows of life are all present.” Emotion, interaction, color, energy? To me, all of these things sound like the beginnings of some great photos. So since my daughter’s birthday is around the corner, I decided to read up on how to get some good shots of her first party and share them with you. Expect a follow-up article in a few weeks about how I did and if these tips did, indeed, prove useful.

Besides the tip I have mentioned before of getting down on the same level as kids when photographing them, I learned many new helpful hints that I think will make my future party photos better. One of the tips suggested on the blog is to look for and photograph party details, like the photo here. Details of the party are great at telling the story and are a fun addition to all the pictures full of people in your albums. And another great thing about these kinds of shots is that you can take many of them before guests even arrive (i.e. of the cake, balloons, decorations and gifts).

Of course, once the guests arrive, shooting candidly is always important for relaxed and fun photos. As we’ve come to realize at Shooting the Kids, staged photos of children cause headaches and looked forced. Step back and shoot kids and adults interacting and children playing and laughing together, then get in there and shoot from within the party. “In these instances you will find a wide angle lens more appropriate and you actually join in the circle of activity (i.e. sit with the kids, play the games, eat the food) and photograph the children as you do this,” the blog writer suggests.

But don’t forget as you’re taking spontaneous photographs of the party, to make sure and get those key planned shots too, like the candle blowing, cake eating and present opening. Also, for these times, it’s great to use burst mode (the manual setting on your camera that allows you to shoot continuously, by simply holding the button down). You don’t want to miss a crucial shot because your camera was “thinking” for a second or two before the next shot.

Don’t forget to take “after” shots of the party as well — the candles burned down and kids tuckered out. These will make great comparison photos with the before shots.

Lastly, remember to have fun. Take lots of pictures, but hand the camera off every once in awhile to join in the fun…or at least to give yourself a little time to eat some cake!

**The close-up cupcake photo, showing attention to fun party details, is by cupcakequeen.