There are some activities that are quintessential summer. When you think of them, or see kids doing them, you automatically think about summertime fun. Simple summer activities can become wonderful inspiration for a cool shot or a starting point for a whole themed session! Brainstorm things that kids enjoy doing only during the summer, and let your mind start thinking about all the possibilities. Here are a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing!
Splashpad
Surprising the kids with a trip to the splashpad on a hot summer day, even when you don’t have the bathing suits with you, is sure to put a perma-smile on their face!
Catching lightening bugs
My girls love catching lightening bugs and I was inspired one night a few years ago to create lightening bugs. I got a string of battery-operated LED lights and put them in a mason jar. While there was still a little light left in the sky, I had my daughter sit with the jar in her lap. I shot purposefully out-of-focus to give the illusion of little glowing bugs.
Sprinklers
Take sprinkler images up a notch by shooting during bright sun, use a wide aperture, and convert the images to black and white. You’ll be amazed at how much the sun, large aperture, and monochrome conversion highlight the tiny water droplets!
Hula-hooping
To really show off the movement created by hula-hooping, and create a distraction-free image by getting low and shooting up. Further enhance the image as needed in post-processing to create a fun and energetic image.
Playground
There’s almost nothing that makes my kids light up more than telling them I’m taking them to the playground. If your kids are old enough to explore without a lot of handholding, let them try to impress you by climbing/swinging/jumping as high as they can!
An evening walk
Sometimes after a long day, you just need to get outside. We live in a quiet neighborhood with little traffic, so taking a walk can be a great stress reliever. I discretely carry my camera around my neck and watch for special or quirky moments to capture along the way. 
Trampoline
Chances are you or a family you know has a trampoline that you could “borrow”. Fortunately our trampoline has a net around it so I feel very comfortable letting my kids do their thing, which frees me up to shoot creatively. I love trying different angles and I even added twinkle lights around the top of the trampoline for ambient light and added interest.
