Child portrait photographers can turn a quiet expression, a game, or an ordinary family outing into a picture worth studying. The artists below take different routes, from Paulina Duczman’s painterly studio portraits to Iwona Podlasińska’s photographs of childhood and Vanessa Rivera’s imagined worlds.
This selection includes 20 photographers and one community account. Use it to find portrait styles you enjoy and ideas to try with your own family or clients. For practical advice alongside the examples, see our guide to child photography.
What Is Child Portrait Photography?
Child portrait photography focuses on a child’s expression, personality, or relationship with the people and places around them. A portrait can be posed in a studio or made during play outdoors. The child does not have to look at the camera for the image to work.
The separate genre of newborn photography focuses on a baby’s earliest weeks. This list looks mainly at portraits of older children, from everyday family scenes to styled fine art pictures.
Some artists combine portrait photography with Photoshop art to build imagined scenes. As you browse, look at the light, clothing, setting, and expression separately. That will give you more to try than simply copying a finished picture.
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20 Child Portrait Photographers to Explore
The numbers make the profiles easy to browse; they are not a ranking. The community account after the 20 photographers offers another way to explore the genre.
1. Iwona Podlasińska
Iwona began photographing her children in 2014. Her pictures blur the line between dreams and reality, with a warm, intimate view of childhood.
She explores winter scenes, outdoor journeys, and interactions with pets. Look at how light and surroundings help an everyday moment feel like part of a story.
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2. Paulina Duczman
Paulina specializes in fine art portraits of children and families. Her studio work has a painterly style, with carefully arranged clothing, backgrounds, and light.
Her portraits are a starting point for studying a quieter mood. Notice how the pose and expression carry the picture without needing a busy setting.
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3. Jessica Drossin
Jessica’s child portraits resemble a fairytale. Vivid colors, soft backgrounds, and dramatic lighting turn outdoor settings into dreamscapes.
Her website also offers photographic textures, overlays, and tutorials. Compare the setting and the finished atmosphere when you study her work; the photograph and its treatment both contribute to the result.
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4. Lisset Perrier
Lisset’s photos of children and families have the feel of a vintage bedtime tale. Dresses, props, and editing all contribute to that mood.
She also teaches fine art editing and composition. Her work is a starting point for thinking about the story you want a portrait to tell before choosing the clothing or background.
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5. Amina Donskaya
Amina photographs adults as well as children. Her child portraits use cool color temperatures and tones, often surrounding the subject with flowers.
Study how the clothing and setting work together. A limited palette can give a portrait a distinct mood without filling the frame with props.
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6. Kathrin Belotserkovskaya
Kathrin’s child and family photography has a touch of fantasy. Her background in costume design also feeds into her creative shoots, for which she makes some costumes and accessories herself.
She names lanterns, candles, and other sources of light among her interests. In her portraits, look at how light and styling work together to suggest a world beyond the everyday.
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7. Anna Gis
Anna came to photography from painting. Her child portraits keep that artistic approach, building a scene around the subject rather than treating the background as an afterthought.
Her playful pictures often include children interacting with animals. Look at how that interaction gives the child something to do and the viewer a small story to follow.
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8. Liya Milk
Liya’s fairytale portraits bring children, animals, and themed settings together. Her portfolio includes alpaca and deer sessions as well as photo stories.
If the imagined-world approach appeals to you, Photoshop is one editing option to explore. Start by thinking about a story and the elements you want to bring into the portrait.
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9. Vanessa Rivera
Vanessa creates imaginative digital art with her family under the name The Life of AIVAX. Her child portraits become scenes from invented worlds, with her children taking part in the story.
Her work is a starting point for exploring the border between a portrait and an illustration. Think about the idea behind each scene as well as the editing.
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10. Elena Mikhailova
Elena’s child portraits have a fairytale atmosphere, with animals, outdoor settings, and warm light contributing to the scene.
Her photography education covers child and family portraiture as well as editing. Study the relationship between the subject and the setting instead of concentrating only on the finished colors.
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11. Nina Carlsen
Nina’s fine art portraits have a vintage mood. Clothing and styling give her subjects the look of characters from another time.
Look at how the costume, pose, and expression support the same idea. Her portraits are a reminder to plan those choices together.
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12. Sasha Chukure Sheppard
Sasha is a creative kid photographer who always finds a way to spice up her portraits. The photos of her children follow some unique concepts.
Her boys either play with balloons, go swimming, dress up in a costume, or snuggle their adorable bunny. The love that this family has for each other shines through each of her images.
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13. Suzy Mead
Suzy’s child portraits bring natural light and storytelling together. Her warm, colorful images often show children interacting with the world around them, such as holding flowers or spending time with animals.
Study the gesture as well as the light. What the child is doing can matter as much as where they stand.
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14. Elena Shumilova
Elena specializes in children and family imagery. Her photographs bring warmth to outdoor scenes through light and the connections between her subjects.
In a published interview, she described sketching ideas to work out poses and gestures. That is an exercise to try: draw the shape of a scene before you photograph it, even if the drawing is only a few lines.
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15. Lisa Holloway
Lisa’s outdoor portraits combine natural light, color, and a close connection with the child. Her pictures show how a small patch of a location can become the whole world of a portrait.
In her natural-light tutorial, she explains how she photographed her son with a hen in a lot near their home. The example is worth studying for its simple setting and the way the activity holds the child’s interest.
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16. Jackie Jean
Jackie’s child portraits use light and vibrant colors to create a magical atmosphere. Her approach brings attention to the connection with the subject as well as the finished edit.
Her website offers education, presets, and actions. When looking at the portraits, separate the expression and lighting from the color treatment so you can see what each contributes.
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17. Jessica Louise
Like many others on our list who take pictures of their children, Jessica mostly photographs her own daughter. She captures special moments of their everyday life.
Photo sessions include road trips, playing in autumn leaves, or swimming on the beach. Her photos celebrate how she and her daughter enjoy life to the fullest.
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18. Kapuschinsky
Kapuschinsky’s monochrome child portraits place attention on texture, contrast, and emotion. Removing color gives the light and the child’s expression more of the work to do.
Her photographic background includes film. Look at the range from deep shadow to bright highlights and at how texture helps shape the mood.
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19. Magdalena Berny
Magdalena specializes in child, family, and portrait photography. Her restrained compositions and attention to expression give the portraits a quiet mood.
Her website organizes galleries around color as well as light and shadow. Compare those groups to see how a palette can connect otherwise different portraits.
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20. Kristen Ryan
Kristen photographs everyday family life and outdoor adventures. Her child portraits often include movement and details that place the person within a larger moment.
Look for the small gestures that tell you what the child is enjoying. Her work is a reminder to look for a portrait during the activity, without stopping every game or walk for a pose.
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Community Account: Your Kids Smile
Your Kids Smile is the community account in this selection. It brings together child portraits from multiple photographers, so it offers a different way to browse from an individual artist’s portfolio.
The linked #yourkidssmile tag is another route into that collection. Look for the credit on each picture so you can explore the photographer behind it.
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Conclusion: Child Portrait Photographers to Follow
Choose one idea from the portraits above for your next session: a quiet expression, a small outdoor setting, a limited color palette, or a story built around a familiar activity. Try that idea with your own subject instead of recreating another photographer’s picture.
Leave space for candid moments and practice posed portraits too. Let the child’s interest and comfort guide the session. The aim is to make a portrait that says something about that child, whichever style you choose.
