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I’m excited to welcome another special guest as part of our inspiring Simply Photography Series. Moon Ko is a long time friend and I’ve admired her photography skills for years! Today she has some really fun photography tips to help you document the passage of time!

An ordinary kid. On an ordinary couch. On an ordinary day. Right?

You’d be right if you said yes. I said yes when I first came across this photo of my son which I had taken on a snow day this past winter. I took a whole series of shots that morning but this one stood out to me…

And after some digging in my files, I had figured out why.

This is a photo of the same ordinary boy, taken on the same ordinary couch, on an ordinary day. Just six years before

Same couch. Same eyebrows.

Extraordinary.

I had never thought to do Then and Now photos until after I had my last child. I think the thought of knowing he was going to be the last one really encouraged me to take more everyday photos of my family. Plus, he has some darn funny expressions.

Here are some simple tips on taking some fun “Then and Now” photos

Candid & Posed:

Back when my third child was born, I was bound and determined to get the “perfect” shot of them all together, looking at the camera and smiling. Yeah. That wasn’t going to  happen. The baby started screaming and the girls started giggling. The harder he screamed, the more they giggled. And that’s when I took the top photo. One of my favorites to this day of the three of them and I really, REALLY wanted to take another one just like it so I posed them (more like bribed… but tomato, tomahto). So if you have a favorite photo you’ve taken in the past, take another one using the same people and the having them do the same expression. It will be helpful to have treats handy for the willing participants.

The Big (and Little) Occasions:

My oldest recently had her braces taken off after two years. I have to say, it didn’t occur to me to take a photo of her smile with braces on because I was so focused and excited to see her without them. These two photos were taken within hours of each other but what a big difference it shows.

Here’s an example of a somewhat short time span of nine months:

The first and last days of school for my kids. It was only a nine month span but there were some days when I didn’t think school year was ever going to end. As you can see, my middle child started wearing glasses. My oldest no longer has braces and the boy started out bringing his lunch to school but decided near the end of school to start eating school lunches. So much change in such a short amount of time.

Get in the Shot:

I know it’s been said before but honestly…get in the photos.

I like to use a mirror. Not only does this show how big my kids have gotten, it shows how little I’ve changed. Believe me, when you get to be my age, that’s a GOOD thing.

I love “Then and Now” photos because they are such a simple way of taking something that’s been done and just doing it over. Taking photos shouldn’t feel like reinventing the wheel every time you look through your viewfinder. And it doesn’t matter if that view is from a point and shoot, a (d)slr or even your camera phone. Just have fun!

Moon Ko resides in Central KY with her husband and three kids. She works part time as an office manager and as a photographer but her favorite thing to do is take photos of her children. You can see more of her work on her website at www.photographerlexington.com or on her Facebook page.