---
title: "How to choose photos for a book that looks like your child | Once Books"
description: "A few clear, well-lit photos of your child’s face beat a big pile of blurry ones. Exactly what to upload, what to leave out, and why it keeps the likeness."
source: "https://www.oncebooks.com/blog/how-to-choose-photos-for-your-book"
---

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# How to choose photos for a book that looks like your child

[The Once Books team](https://www.oncebooks.com/authors/team) · 10 August 2026 · 3 min read

- [getting started](https://www.oncebooks.com/blog/tag/getting-started)
- [photos](https://www.oncebooks.com/blog/tag/photos)

The photos you upload are what let a book star your child by name and face. You don’t need a photo shoot, and you don’t need a big pile. You need a few clear ones, and here’s what helps.

## What to upload

- Three to five clear, well-lit photos of your child’s face.
- A mix of angles (straight on, and a little to each side) so the face reads in three dimensions, not one.
- Recent photos, so the book looks like your child as they are now.

## What to avoid

- Heavy filters, sunglasses, hats pulled low, or anything covering the face.
- Busy backgrounds and group shots where it’s unclear which child is the hero.
- One single photo. A single angle gives the illustrator less to work from, and the likeness suffers.

Those photos become your [reference images](https://www.oncebooks.com/glossary#reference-image), the anchor every page is generated against. They’re the one thing worth getting right before you start.

![Character reference sheet for a young child with curly reddish-brown hair in a school uniform of a white shirt, blue tank top and grey trousers, shown standing from the front, three-quarter, side and back, sitting down, and in a grid of six facial expressions, beside a red backpack with a fox badge.](https://www.oncebooks.com/reference-sheets/child/1600.webp)

What a few good photos become: one child, fixed from every angle, and the reference every page draws on.

The step-by-step version is in [the help centre](https://www.oncebooks.com/help/add-your-childs-photos), and [how we handle and delete your photos](https://www.oncebooks.com/child-safety) covers what happens to them afterwards. It’s a two-minute read. Once you’ve picked a few, [see how a book comes together](https://www.oncebooks.com/how-it-works).

## Questions parents ask

**How many photos do I need?**

Three to five clear, well-lit photos of your child’s face, from a few angles. More isn’t better. A handful of good ones beats a big pile of blurry or filtered shots.

**Can I use just one photo?**

You can, but the likeness suffers. A single angle gives the illustrator less to work from; a few angles let the face be understood in three dimensions rather than one.

**What kind of photos should I avoid?**

Heavy filters, sunglasses, hats pulled low, busy group shots, and anything covering the face. Recent, clear, face-forward photos work best.

## Related reading

- [How to self-publish a children’s picture book](https://www.oncebooks.com/blog/how-to-self-publish-a-childrens-picture-book) — Self-publishing a picture book, step by step: word count, page count, illustration costs, consistent characters, print-ready files, ISBNs and launch.
- [Picture books for big changes in a child's life](https://www.oncebooks.com/blog/picture-books-for-big-changes) — A guide to picture books for a new sibling, starting school, fear of the dark and more: what each change feels like, and the books that help a child with it.
- [How to publish a paperback on KDP: the checklist](https://www.oncebooks.com/blog/kdp-paperback-publishing-checklist) — The ordered checklist for publishing a paperback on Amazon KDP: trim, paper, page count, interior and cover PDFs, metadata, pricing, proof and review.

## Keep reading

- [Answers](https://www.oncebooks.com/answers) — One sharply-scoped question per page, cost, safety, timing, printing, answered in a couple of sentences before the detail.
- [Glossary](https://www.oncebooks.com/glossary) — Plain definitions of the vocabulary: the Character Sheet, the Consistency Engine, style profiles, drift.
- [Help centre](https://www.oncebooks.com/help) — Task-shaped instructions for making, printing and sharing a book once you have started one.

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