3 tips to capture great photos of your kids this holiday season

It's the hap-happiest season of all — until the kids won't SHUT UP AND BE STILL SO WE CAN TAKE THEIR ADORABLE PICTURES.

• Take a deep breath. Help is here.

We asked St. Pete-based professional family photographer Alison Amick Brett, who runs Little Llamas Portraits, what we could be doing better to get great shots of the little ones. Her tips:

Mistake #1: Not getting down to their level.

• "Rather than always taking a photo from your perspective, which is much taller than your kiddo, get down on their level by sitting, kneeling, or even laying down," Brett tells us.
• "This will help seem less intimidating to your kids, and you might be excited by the energy you receive in the photo!"

Mistake #2: Asking them to be still for photos.

• "For your holiday photo, say instead, 'Susie, can you show me how your dress spins?' or, 'Susie, can you show me a silly face? An angry face? A laughing really hard face?'
• All of these will cater to your child's needs to be active or silly, and your photos will show off their glowing candid smiles."

Mistake #3: Saying "Cheese!"

• "Even adults dread the cheese face, so why do we try to force it on our kids?" Brett asks. "Instead, let them have fun, be silly, act crazy, and you might even notice a bigger smile on yourself in this year's holiday card!"