We’re still in lockdown, it’s a bit crazy, but it’s also a great opportunity to take family photos, with everyone spending more time together, let’s remember the good times, and create a family record. It seems like a good time to share some of my more practical tips and tricks for getting the best out of your family portrait.
After finishing my degree in Photography in the Arts in Swansea, I spent a couple of years as a family portrait photographer. This gave me a real insight into the psychology of the family unit and how best to interact with people of different age ranges to get the most out of a family portrait session.
Getting that one shot of the family with everyone looking the right way with their eyes open, a smile on their face and a nice composition can be one of the trickiest things to do and can become quite stressful for all involved when it’s just not working. There are a few things that can help manage the situation and help you get the shots you want quickly and even make it fun.
TIP 1: Be prepared and get yourself sorted first.
It’s a bit like being on an airplane when the flashing lights come on and the masks drop – make sure your mask is on first before you help the children. If you are not organised, a photoshoot can descend into chaos very quickly. We all have short attention spans and this can make things difficult when hesitating on a shoot.
- Make sure your camera or phone batteries are charged.
- Decide on a location.
- Set up your camera with the right settings for the situation.
- Make sure the lighting will be okay before you even get the children dressed, that way there is less chance on them wandering off and getting covered in dirt or picking up a computer game that they then don’t want to put down again before you have even managed to press the shutter.
TIP 2: Locations.
Locations don’t have to be fancy, especially with a family portrait, because it’s the people you want to focus on, not necessarily the beautiful sunset. If you are shooting inside try and find a plain wall to shoot in front of. You don’t want to be distracted by a plant growing out of a family member’s head.
Lighting is very important here too. If you don’t have any kind of professional lighting at home, you will want to make sure you are getting enough natural light on the area you want to shoot in from the windows – using normal house lights will give you a yellow glow unless you are using daylight bulbs.
Take down any pictures and make your backdrop as distraction free as possible. If you want to go into the garden the same applies, find somewhere that’s not too fussy, a nice big green bush with plenty of foliage can work well. Or add a bit of colour with a flowering plant behind you.
In England the lockdown rules are being relaxed a little which means you could head to your local park or recreation area to take some family shots, IF it’s not too distracting for young children for instance, or too embarrassing for your teenagers!
If you do want to head out to a beauty spot, I would become a bit of a location scout first. Have a look around and if you find somewhere that you think would make a lovely shot, make sure you make a note of where the sun will be in relation to your camera at the time of day you want to do it. There’s nothing worse than getting everything else ready and prepared only to find out that the sun will be directly behind you, will wash out your background and turn you all into silhouettes ( unless that’s the look you are going for, of course).
So you’ve found your location, set up your camera, got your lighting sorted. Now comes the hard part – getting everyone to engage!
TIP 3: Shooting with small children
If you are shooting babies and small children, you have to let them lead the way a little bit. Get them in position, but if they want to hold that cuddly toy, let them, it is better to have their favourite toy in the picture than a crying toddler.
In years to come the significance of that toy can bring back lots of happy memories (I still miss Herman, my favourite teddy bear).
You could try Introducing a new toy or something a bit more creative to entertain them. In the example below my niece was given some bubbles, they add an element of interest to the pictures and could be used in a whole family portrait too.
TIP 4: Older Children
If the children are a bit older, try involving them in the process. If you are wanting to shoot a picture of the whole family without a photographer to hand the likelihood is you will need to use a timer. Cameras and phones almost always have the function to do this.
Let the child press the shutter, you can turn it into a race with the camera, a game to get them back into position in time.
TIP 5: Take more than one photo
Try a few different positions to create a nice composition and to make it a bit more of a creative and fun experience. You could try laying on your stomachs , jumping up in the air, have the parents sitting down and let the kids jump on your backs.
If you are stuck for ideas, have a look online at some family portrait photographer websites for inspiration and see what you like and what you might like to try. Know when to move on and try something different, you know when your family is starting to get bored, if one position doesn’t really work for you move on and try something else.
TIP 6: My final tip
It is a simple one, but can be overlooked all too easily. Parents, be less concerned about what the children are doing and check yourselves. Nothing ruins a nice shot as easily as a parent looking at the child while pointing at the camera telling the child where to look.
Have fun with it, and make sure everyone is involved in the creative process. I’m sure you will have something to be proud of, something to send to the grandparents until you can next meet.
Happy snapping.