Get Creative with Your Family Photos
As photography becomes increasingly popular more and more people want to take unique and creative family photos. It’s only natural that you want to share with friends and family your holiday snaps, pictures from a special occasion or simply a fun time you’ve had with the kids.
However, you don’t want to bore people with a slideshow or photo album and you do not want to end up on awkwardfamilyphotos.com! There’s lots of ways you and your family can have fun behind and in front of the lens. Here are our tips on having fun with your Family Photo Ideas:
Act Natural
One of the main problems with run-of-the-mill family photos is the forced smiles and rigid postures. Try and capture your family engrossed in a game or sat around enjoying a meal. There’s added value for the outsider with the tasty cuisine in the shot or the determined face of the young goalkeeper. The key to success here is to not tell the subject when the photo is being taken.
Angles
Getting into unusual positions with your camera often makes for the great results. A low angle can make your holiday snaps look like a scene from Honey, I Blew Up The Kids or a high angle from your hotel room balcony can get the whole extended family fitted in, plus the friendly waiters from the restaurant down the road.
Use Light
Big cheesy smiles aren’t the be all and end all of family snaps. Capture a beautiful sunset with your gang’s silhouettes in front for a wonderfully atmospheric picture. Alternatively, using lights in situ rather than depending on the flash can make interesting compositions. The key here is to keep the camera perfectly still – a tripod works perfectly but you also just perch the camera on a nearby object.
Reflections
So your holiday is a wash out? Make the most of the inclement weather by creating shots using puddles in interesting ways. Alternatively, fountains and swimming pools can throw out great reflections . This way you get two family pics for the price of one.
Use Professionals
Professional photographers are a great resource. After getting to know you before the shoot they can have the best ideas in representing your family’s personality in a fun portrait. They may even have props and costume which you can get involved. Professionals should also be willing to listen to your ideas so feel free to mention some of the above tips. Just don’t forget to tell them where you got them from!
Get Inspired
There’s a world of off-beat and interesting imagery at your fingertips with photo sharing sites like Flickr and Instagram boasting a host of amateur and professionals having fun with their Canon or iPhone. That slideshow need never send Grandma asleep again.
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