'The Simple Way To Take Professional Family Photographs

 

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Having professional family photographs every so often can be a great way to immortalize a certain point in time with your loved ones - however, there’s absolutely no reason that you can’t have a go at taking professional pictures yourself. You can have fun, practice, and if you manage to get to a certain standard you will save a ton of money on your professional pictures! Either way, you’ll end up with pictures of your loved ones that you can keep forever. Read on for some simple tips to take your own professional family pictures: 

Never Take Pictures Facing The Sun 

Never, ever take your pictures facing the sun. Natural light is important, but facing the sun will make everybody squint and cast shadows that you really don’t want in the photograph. You need to find the right kind of lighting so that it’s natural but so that shadows aren't a problem. 

Don’t Be Afraid Of Candid Photos 

You might think that to have amazing, professional looking family photographs you need to make sure everybody is posed perfectly. However, you shouldn’t be afraid of candid photographs. Candid photos allow you to capture everyone's personality and not just catch them stiff and awkward in a pose. Providing you’ve found the right kind of lighting, snapping a few candid pictures of everybody laughing and being themselves will look better. If you want to take great pictures of your kids, get them laughing naturally and their personalities will shine through, along with the joy in their eyes. Don’t just ask your kids to smile if they’re not feeling it, as it can look forced! 

Use Burst Mode 

Burst mode could help you to get a bunch of different pictures while you’re all just having fun, doing your thing. Set your phone up on a tripod, put it on burst mode, and see what happens. This is an especially good tip if you have a pet that you want to get in the picture, as they are less likely to stay still and look at the camera. By using burst mode, you’ll have plenty to choose from and will usually find the perfect one. Take a look at a guide on how to use iPhone Portrait mode for near-professional portraits and you’ll have a better idea of how to do this properly. 

Work On Composure

If you do want to take a few pictures that look like you’ve been in a photography studio, then work on your composure. How you sit or stand in the pictures matters. Many great pictures can be taken standing or sat down, in the middle of the frame or spread out across the frame. Experimenting with composure is usually the best way to come up with a great way to pose that works for you. Searching Pinterest for poses that work well to try out could be a great start. Get a small collection of poses and see what works best for you as a family. It’ll make a big difference - rather than showing up to your chosen location and then not really knowing what to do with yourselves. 

Wear Cohesive Outfits

The thing with pictures like this, is that you need everything to sort of ‘go’ to look professional. This does not mean matching outfits - that can often make for a dull photo, or look creepy/old fashioned. Rather than wearing the exact same outfit in various sizes, get a little bit more creative. Instead, wear outfits that are cohesive without matching. Come up with a bit of a theme and color palette and then try to stick to that as you all get dressed. You probably wouldn’t go out wearing matching outfits, so don’t do it in your photos. Avoid busy photographs by avoiding too many patterns. Even if it’s the way you usually dress, try to tone it down. Wearing too many patterns will make your pictures look messy. Layers are fine, though, so you can get creative with various layers so you have options for different pictures and backgrounds. 

Taking professional family photographs isn't something you need to take a course on. With the advice here, you’ll be able to practice and get the hang of it quickly, taking amazing pictures that are worthy of being framed and having a place in your hall. Even if they are just for your scrapbooks, you’ll be glad you learned a thing or two. 

Have you been making any mistakes in your family photographs? Leave a comment below!