5 tips to capture impeccable family portraits

Photography is beautiful and it has a lot to offer in terms of usefulness. There are many ways people can use pictures or videos. The footage captures by a motion activated hidden camera installed in a wild life reserve helps with research functions. Photography also has commercial purposes, as most of the pictures covering various magazines are products of photograph sessions. Even the family is benefitting from photography as it helps us save special moments. The use of family portraits is a good example of how much photography is important to the family. Here are five tips to help you capture impeccable family portraits. You may want to stick to them as ignorance of any of them may see your picture move from a good picture to an awkward picture a hidden cam captured.

Ensure the family members relax

Often times when younger children are tired or hungry, they become anxious. Some parents I notice, retaliate and demand the children behave or “You won’t get a treat” This is the wrong approach.  Children sense their parents’ emotions very easily.  So, I often have to train or retrain the parents to stay calm and use “nice” words to encourage the children to participate.  The photographer must be personable and likeable and relatable to children.  Making funny sounds and laughter encourages the children to have fun.  Most importantly, preparing the parents with younger children during a consultation will result in a successful photo session.

Take continuous photos

This is not a business portrait where you wait for an opportunity before you take the shot. Continuous shooting is best for family portrait with younger children for a number of reasons. You may capture an image that may turn out better than the one you took when you saw an opportunity. Nobody will likely complain when you take continuous shot. People may get bored when you take a single picture and ask them to switch stances. Family portraits are moving from the signature ones to the creative ones. This is one reason you should work with continuous shooting.

Let it not be a regular session

Long gone were the days when family photo shoots were stereotypical in nature. Times are changing and things are evolving. Family portraits are not the usual scenario when the father sits on a majestic chair with the mother and the children stand. On the other hand, the case of everybody sitting or everybody standing. The children had to be on their best behavior during those photo shoots and stay in that position long enough for the photographer to take the picture. These days, they allow children to goof around while the photographer takes the picture. You should work with the ideology of family portraits as a representation of fun and love in the family. Allow the kids play like kids and see it reflect the joy of family.

Avoid facing the sun or any strong light

The result of this is similar to having someone flash a bright light into your eye at night. You will squint your eye in reaction to that light. The same goes for taking a picture while under the sun. Avoid taking pictures under the sun. Instead, use the shade provided by tress. You should also ensure that you do not point your light directly at your subject while taking the picture in a lowlight environment. Instead, point the light upwards and use the reflecting light to illuminate your subject.

The part of editing pictures is as important as the part of taking pictures as well. If you can work the picture taking aspect, you will not have a problem while editing the pictures. I like to soften the skin and whiten the teeth and remove facial blemishes. Too much of editing tends to take away the realness of a picture sometimes. Make the photo shoot great and your pictures will come out beautiful without much ado.

Author - Junaid Ali Qureshi