If you want to improve your pictures of children, here are a few tips and tricks that will help you get children pictures truly worth framing.

Usually the best pictures of children tend to be candid photos, but if you are taking a formal portrait, always practice with your camera first so you're ready.

When taking candid shots of children outdoors, use a zoom (preferably optical zoom) or a telephoto lens. This allows you to fade a bit into the background. The more noticeable you are taking pictures, the more likely the children will be silly or clam up making it hard to get a natural expression. And you will need to be patient. Let them get used to you being there with your camera. Eventually they will relax.

Focus on the Subject in the Picture. The most interesting pictures focus on the subject rather than trying to get everything nearby into the shot.

When taking pictures of children outside, it's best to use "sports" mode or select a high shutter speed like 1/500 and a wide aperture. The larger aperture will blur the background when photographing from about 10 feet away from the child. Portrait mode also does this, but the nice thing about using manual settings is you can both freeze the action and blur the background.

If your camera has burst mode, this is also a good one to use with active kids. Burst mode will take several pictures in rapid succession, so you can later choose your favorite.

If you're taking pictures inside and have good indirect light, use your camera without a flash to avoid distracting the children.

Speaking of flash, be extra cautious when photographing babies. Before you use a flash, always check your camera's manual to ensure you're using it from a safe distance. In many cases it will be three feet.

The best way to pose a baby is in her/his parent's arms. When posing children, always put safety first. When taking pictures of a child and parent, it's often nice to have them look at each to emphasize their relationship. If you want a baby to look in a specific direction, simply use a baby rattle, bean bag or other quiet noise maker.

When photographing toddlers, be ready to work fast. Always be prepared to take lots of pictures so you'll be sure to catch a few really good ones.

One of the very best ways to photograph a child of any age is to wait for when the child is engrossed in something that is really interesting to him or her and then shoot away.

Try to get pictures of those "firsts" like first step, first bike ride, and all those other important moments.

Before you take pictures of any child, always ask the parent for permission beforehand as a courtesy (the only time it wouldn't be necessary is if the child is part of a large group like marching in a parade). It's legal to take pictures of people, including kids, without permission, but put yourself in the parent's shoes. Most want to be asked.

Preschool age children can be quite cute when interacting with other kids their age. Look for those buddy photo ops like when two little ones are holding hands or helping each other with a task.

As you can see taking better pictures of children isn't really complicated but it does require some time and forethought.