How to Take Better Family Photos
Taking pictures of your family is always lots of fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s just you, your husband or wife and your children or a large group of relatives and friends. Having those pictures to share now and for years to come is very important for any family. You can use iPhones, iPads, point-and-shoot, or digital cameras and take really great photographs. Here are 15 suggestions on how to take professional quality family pictures.
1. Start before the event by selecting a similar line of clothing. That helps create a “family” look to the photographs. Blue jeans (remember they come in different blue colors) or golf slacks might be a great start.
2. Next choose a similar pattern of shirts with complimentary colors (pastels, for example or blue for the men and pink for the ladies or all one color). Tee shirts are also great.
3.Try interesting accent pieces (e.g., red neckties or scarves, colorful socks or hats).
4.What about a seasonal theme? Or favorite sports team? Halloween costumes?
5.Everyone likes the “traditional” photo. Start by placing the grandparents, parents, women, or special guests in the middle.
6.Arrange by height with the shortest towards the middle and the tallest towards the sides. Have the older children or young adults seated or kneeling in the front. Tell everyone: “if you can’t see the camera, the camera can’t photograph you!”
7.Have the moms hold the babies, then the dads, and then grandparents.
8.Try to get everyone to relax: have them sing, tell stories, act silly, or just laugh.
9. Tell everyone to say “CHEESE” or “MONEY” (natural smiles are always better!).
10.Toddlers will squirm, cry, try escaping, etc. Tell the adults to look at the camera no matter what the children do (that’s hard for their parents!).
11.Bring along special toys to attract the attention of the children and pets. Bubble machines and balloons are great for children and pets!
12.Use those toys to attract the children’s attention: as soon as they look at you, quickly snap the shutter. If the adults are looking at the camera (not at the children), you’ll have a great shot.
13.Take time to check for blinks. Do it before you move on to the next setup. Easier to correct things while everyone is in place.
14.Include the family pets because they are part of the family.
15.Okay, once the “formals” are over, the fun really starts. You let people just have enjoy being themselves. Break everyone up into small groups and have them do things they like to do: the children running around with the dog, parents playing with their, or grandparents simply holding their grandchildren).
You can include yourself in the session by mounting the camera onto a tripod and learning how to delay the camera’s shutter release. You could set a 10 second delay which would give you time to trigger the shutter and then take your place in the group. After 10 seconds the camera will take the photograph.You might experiment with using flash. Many cameras feature built-in “pop-up” or “on-camera” flashes for added illumination. The technology of today’s camera should give you excellent results.