It’s the end of August, which means it’s almost the end of summer! All the fun of swimming and playing in the water will soon be a distant memory as the season starts changing and the days become much too cool for bathing suits. But before that happens, grab your camera and make sure you have enough of the quintessential summer photographic memory: the swimming shot.

For a unique twist on the standard shots that we always seem to get of kids in pools, focus on the crop. You can make the every-day act of swimming seem new and exciting by focusing in on the funny, joyful or even sometimes terrified expressions every kid seems to make when they encounter a swimming pool, like top the photo above. Just looking at that picture will always make me remember back to my daughter’s first swimming lessons this summer and the squeals of joy and terror that came forth loudly from that wide open mouth every time she tried something new.

Another way to get cool swimming shots with a unique crop is to focus on the all the other details besides just the facial expressions, like the photo immediately above. Try focusing on the cool splashing water or your child’s bright beach towel tightly wrapped around shivering shoulders. Or, for a fun twist, you can invest in a disposable underwater camera like fellow blogger Stephanie did and see what you come up with! The main thing is to be creative and not always worry about getting your child’s face in the frame. Many times just the actions and movement that you capture of the body say it all, and bonus points for saying it in a unique way.

But don’t forget that, while most of the time we think of pools when we think of swimming, for a lot of kids without pools (mine included) “swimming” means any water play time. So let them play in fountains. Give them the hose and photograph their reaction. Or just do the most tried and true summer water favorite of all: turn the sprinklers on to full blast and let them run! Water reflects light in such interesting ways that you’re never at a loss for a great photo opportunity when you put both water and kids into the mix.

What unique and different ways have you photographed your own kids swimming this summer?