8 Simple Steps to Capture Great Family Moments like a Professional Photographer

On special holidays like birthdays, Christmas or New Year, one of the best and precious keepsakes is the great family photos. When I say "great" it means not that same family photos we used to see- uncomfortable and stiff-looking family members lining up in a row. "Great" for me means capturing all the wonderful personalities of each family members. Those kinds of family photos are great to be framed and hang on the wall for years to come. 

We're a family of 16- 14 children plus our parents. Every year we'll have our family pictures and my father do it in his own- we don't hire a professional photographer instead he invested a tripod and a camera with a timer. Those were the days before digital camera so my father see to it that we take a lot of photos to increase chances of getting one frame where at least everyone’s eyes are open...he..he..he..and we will be more likely to have drop our guard and let each child's personality shine through in the photos. One more thing, my father won't say to us "Cheese" or "Smile" to make us smile because it will result to fake smile. He will say something funny to make us children laugh. And remember, sometimes the best photos of children and babies are when they are not even looking at the camera.

Now that I have my own family, we  have our family photos taken in a studio (in one of the malls here in Hatyai City) but I'm not contented with the result. The photographer will just let us sit on the couch and snap photos without telling us what's the best position for us, or if our hair looks fine or any suggestions to make our photos look more natural and worthy to be hang on our wall. Just take a look at these:

The photographer didn't even manage to tell how unkempt my hair was! LOL! 

Thanks to a friend, Ate Janet Luison, who finally showed us what great family portraits are- looks real and showed the relationship between the people and the photo. Here are some of them:

A good background puts the focus on the people in the photo. Simple is best.

Show relationships- how happy the mom and son are! It's much more emotional and engaging!

Never underestimate the power of the candid moments!

With the advent of digital cameras, every family could now capture their own family photos (invest on tripod so that you could be in the picture!) . Here are few tips that will put you on the perfect picture-taking path:

1.  Position the people artistically. Don't ever shoot your family members in line-up again if you don't want that boring photograph! Instead, have people kneeling in front and a few behind. It looks better to the eye, and it gives people more to look at. 

2. Choose the right clothes. Right clothes make the pictures. Clothes that work well together helps to put the focus on the family not on the crazy pattern. If everyone is in earthy tones, one person should not wear neon orange.

3. Show relationships. Like the photos I've shown above with my son, there's no doubt that mother-son relationship is showcased in there. It's emotional and engaging at the same time.

4. Catch candid moments. Look for warm moments where family is absorbed in stories and joking around and where they're on themselves, keep snapping around. Candid moments are so powerful! 

5. Fill the Frame. Stay focus on the subject and eliminate any elements- like distance or cluttered background that doesn't add to your composition.

6. Shoot subjects at eye level. You don’t want to shoot up someone’s nostrils, do you? And shooting from above can make people look tiny. 

7. Try unusual angles.  Try experimenting with crazy angles. Don't worry if you're standing on the kitchen counter or your child's poking your nose with a spatula. What's important is that it tells a story that doesn't happen normally. 

8. Lose the red eyes. Luckily, digital cameras are now equipped with "red eye removal". With just few clicks , you can now remove glowing red eyes without sweat!

By following the simple steps, you now have what it takes to capture great family moments .

Happy shooting!

I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog for dc photographer and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.