Family Photography Tips

One of the hardest pictures to pull off and get approved by everyone has to be the family photographs. Typically saying “cheese” when the camera focuses on you has lost its charm and now cheese only makes you fat! Face value increases with a smile, no doubt, but smiling and waiting for the sound of the click only makes us more impatient and irritated. Family photos have a tendency of being taken outdoors and for this reason the weather can play havoc too. Too hot, too cold, too rainy, too breezy, too dull are all some of the common excuses. So what do you need to get a perfect family photograph and coordinate all the little ones and elders alike? You require some managing skills! Synchronizing and getting the professional photographer to understand what you really want, will take some getting used to before you actually begin the session. Read more and get prepared to show off some of your poses!

Some people love the camera and others are too shy to face one. Comfort is the name of the game. If you are organizing an event then it is essential that you make sure all participants are at ease. Explain to them that there are no strangers in their midst and they don’t have a reason to be unnerved.

The background is important as it could make or break the family photograph! Some of the tips suggested could be blurring the background by choosing the largest aperture setting. Otherwise, the background can be made up of trees, scenic locations and your house and so on, but nothing too distracting. It depends on the age and size of the family. Lighting is extremely essential as you don’t want it to be too dark (where only a person’s white teeth can be seen!) or too bright (where all of you look ghoulish!). Though natural lighting is one of the best ways to capture a special picture, with camera settings, it can be changed according to the time of the day. Using flash is discretional.

A simple trick of getting a picture perfect family portrait is to take several clicks. The common problems include closing of eyes, not being entirely ready, looking elsewhere etc. If you are using a digital camera, you have ample free space, so don’t hesitate to use it. Several shots of each pose are recommended to avoid any disappointments later on.

It might be a silly idea, but it turns out beautifully at the end. Before meeting with the entire family, look through the wardrobe of each. You don’t have to all wear one exact shade of pink! That’s not the idea. Use colour combinations such as black and white or shades of blue or something that sets your photo apart from the others you’ve seen. Stripes, polka dots and bold designs take the eye away from the face. So you know what to avoid! The motto here is — coordinate, but don’t match.

Smaller people in front, taller people at the back (for obvious reason that you must be able to see everyone!). It works as simple as that. Arranging people in a circular pattern certainly makes the photo look better. If there are grandparents in the house, put them in the centre as they dominate the picture. A typical large family picture would be: grandparents in the middle, the adult females sit on either sides of them with their respective husbands standing behind them. The children are all made to kneel in front.