Superior Family Photos: How to Shoot Pics That Really Matter
The slideshow and individual images in this post illustrate how to create family photos that are both beautiful and authentic in nature.
This series of family photos came about after I’d traveled back to my hometown, Hamilton, to spend Christmas with my dear old mum. A few days prior I was contacted by a former classmate, Pauline, who asked if I’d photograph her family while I was back in town.
I was very happy to oblige and it was a lot of fun making so many beautiful and meaningful photos for such a great bunch of people.
Opportunities for Family Photos Should Not Be Missed
Here’s what I know about family.
Time scatters and divides us, and the tyranny of distance acts to keep us apart.
Sadly, once the children have left the nest to find their own way in the world, the entire family may only reunite every few years.
Those occasions, which should not be missed, provide fantastic opportunities to preserve memories of the family group through the creation of beautiful family photos.
Let’s face it, time brings inevitable changes to the structure and dynamics within families.
It’s hard to describe how, in years to come, these photos will grow in importance as the ravages of time catch up with us all.
Essential family photos like this image featuring three generations of women.
Family Photos Are For Everyone, Even Photographers
Whether you are a professional or enthusiast photographer, I’d ask you not to let such opportunities pass you by.
And remember, that it’s the photographer in the family that is so often (physically) excluded from their own photographs.
When it comes to your own family, seek the assistance of an amply qualified professional to do the job for you.
Knowing someone (e.g., Uncle Harry) with a good camera just doesn’t cut it.
After all, I wouldn’t buy an expensive hammer and call myself a carpenter. Would you?
This particular photo features three generations of women. There’s my friend, Pauline, her mum and Pauline’s daughter.
Essential Skills for Brilliant Family Photos
Clearly, to be able to create brilliant family photos, it's important to know how to use your camera. But, there are far more important things in which you need to be competent, including the following:
To see and be able to adapt to changing light, and to ensure your subjects are beautifully illuminated.
To understand and manage dynamic range with the scene.
To be able to successfully achieve an optimal exposure.
To be able to situate individual members within the family group in such a way that produces a cohesive and harmonious composition.
To be able to work with people in a way that builds harmony, while ensuring that everyone appears happy at the moment the camera’s shutter is released.
Expertise is evident when a photographer is able to manage all the lighting and technical concerns in a stress free and seamless way.
This significant skill allows them to concentrate on building the relationships and mood required to achieve really beautiful family photos.
Sadly, so many photographers find it hard to combine technique and people skills in a cohesive and harmonious manner.
Needless to say, it helps if you have balance in your own life.
Do you tend to look at things happening around you from a technical or emotive point of view?
Depending upon the situation, there are benefits to either approach.
However, for the photographer, particularly those working in wedding and family photos, you need to be aware and able to quickly resolve all manner of issues going on around you.
And I’m referring here to people skills, particularly on days when emotions are running high.
For some photographers, that means coming out of your shell and turning, at least temporarily, from an introvert into more of an extrovert.
If you’re working as a baby photographer, you better get used to paying attention to the needs of babies, and their mothers, in a way that shows care, empathy and compassion.
It helps if you love kids and are not, totally, motivated by money.
In a large family group there will likely be one or two family members that draw attention to themselves, either naturally or through humor, body language, or the way they dress or behave.
Allow them the opportunity to exert their energy, because that’s what they need to do. Just be careful not to let them take control of proceedings.
You’re the professional, and you’re the only one there who’s actually qualified and responsible for making beautiful family photos.
The family has shown up, they’ve dressed up and are paying you for a quality product that they hope will bring them joy for many years to come.
That shows a considerable investment, on their behalf, and you need to honor that investment.
At the end of the day, you’re in charge and responsible for the outcome, so don’t let anyone mess it up for you.
Having said that, there’s a balance that needs to be achieved.
While you need to be the one to build harmony within the group, be sure you don’t other analyze and overreact to what’s going on.
Behave in a confident and professional manner, but in a way that doesn’t dismiss or demean anyone.
Remember, the event is always about those you photograph. It's never about you.
While you need to project confidence and demonstrate an ability to organize people into harmonious groups, you are not supposed to be the centre of attention.
“Murder is terrible, as is adultery. But drawing attention aware from the bride, on her big day, well that’s another thing entirely.”
I’m suddenly reminded of the day I met a beautiful wedding photographer. I asked her directly about any challenges she’d experienced, as a consequence of her looks, photographing weddings.
She confided in me that she always dressed down when working. This ensured that she didn’t draw too much attention to herself while, at the same time, benefitting from the comfort and freedom of wearing loose fitting trousers.
Having said that, when the weather turns foul or your flash recharge begins to crawl, a little soft shoe shuffle may well save the day.
I know it has for me.
Relaxed family photos, like this large group portrait, at a bush camp.
Great Family Photos: Keep it Casual, Make it Fun
When it came to making the family photos for my friend Pauline’s family, my brief was quite simple:
“The family is together, it’s Christmas and we want some photos to record that special time together.”
“We have set up a Christmas Camp (i.e., a bush camp over the Christmas period) down the back of the property, where a number of us will be staying, and we’d like to have the family photos made there.”
It was clear to me that the photos needed to reflect the family’s relaxed nature, and the setting where they grew up and were celebrating Christmas together.
The photos were to include in laws and, for younger members of the family, new partners.
As the above photo illustrates, I absolutely understood the brief and was determined to make the process as enjoyable as possible.
But it wasn’t easy, given the amount of people involved, the limited time I had available to make the photos and the bright, high contrast light that I had to deal with on the day.
Black and white family photos, like this couple with their dogs.
What’s Best, Color or Black and White Family Photos?
All of the original images were color but, to my way of thinking, some called out for rendering into black and white.
The above picture, full of texture and a full range of tones, was a case in point. I think it’s a great example of a black and white photo and one of my favorites from the day.
When I learned that one of the couples had two dogs, and that they were there on the day, I knew there was the possibility to make a photo that they’d value for years to come.
Fortunately, the dogs were both attentive and compliant, which made things much easier.
By situating this lovely group of four in open shade, I was able to illuminate everyone in beautiful, soft light and produce a tonally rich and vibrant image.
These days I rarely take on commercial portrait assignments. However, when I do, I like to provide my customers with a varied range of both color and black and white family photos.
It’s another way to add value to the job, by providing the customer with a greater variety of images and a range of moods.
While I love color photography, some people and some scenes simply look better in black and white.
Frankly, when it comes to creating photos that evoke notions of romance and nostalgia, black and white is hard to beat.
Family Photos: Momentum and Organization
As is my normal workflow, I photographed several different family photos that included the entire group. I also produced photos of the individual families, couples and children.
When there’s so many people involved it can be tough for the photographer to keep track of everyone and their exact relationship to each other.
Under such circumstances, it’s important to have a list and a Marshall, in this case Pauline, to organise the participants of each group so that they’re ready to be photographed.
And it’s useful if the Marshall is the kind of person who won’t take no for an answer.
It’s then a pretty simple job for the photographer to get on with what they do best: bringing out the natural beauty in the individuals, couples and family groups they’ve been commissioned to photograph.
By the time you’ve finished photographing one couple or group, the next one is standing nearby and ready to go.
Loving couple on a sunny bush trail in Hamilton, Australia.
Here’s one of the younger couples who, looking like three million bucks, provided great opportunities for photos.
Actually, everyone involved was so incredibly easy to work with that I really didn’t want to leave. Despite being a very hot and humid day, I just wanted to keep doing what I do so well.
Of course it’s always fun when you’re working with such easy going folk. And, in the case of family photos, creativity is a direct outcome of enthusiasm, effort and cooperation.
Three generations of men made for great family photos on a tractor.
Approach is Critical to Successful Family Photos
From my point of view, I don’t have to worry about being anyone other than who I am.
If your intentions are pure, and you understand why you’re there and the value your work will hold for the family, the process is about as much fun as so-called work can be.
If you’re genuine, don’t fuss about or draw too much attention to yourself, you’ll have nothing to worry about.
Just get on with it and the event will flow seamlessly.
I like to work quite quickly, so as not to give those being photographed too much time to worry about how they might or should look for the camera.
Of course, you really want to make beautiful family photos. And you do your upmost to control the outcome through lighting, exposure, composition, image processing and your ability to relax those being photographed.
I think, out of all the photos in this post, there was only one where I took more than a minute or two before I was done and ready to move onto the next group.
Needless to say, that was while organizing one of the large, extended family portraits.
But that wasn’t just due to the amount of people I had to position inside the scene.
The sun had come out and was streaming through the tree canopy in a way that increased the dynamic range within the scene.
Frankly, I would have preferred to move everyone to an area with more subdued and even lighting.
But one of the couples wanted to be photographed in that particular spot, so I took a little longer to situate the group and compose my image.
And I did so while waiting for a little more cloud cover to reduce the dynamic range and, thereby, produce a more aesthetically pleasing result.
The Importance of Light in Family Photos
Photography is all about light. In fact the word photography comes to us from Ancient Greek, and translates as follows:
Photo means light
Graphy translates as writing, drawing or painting
Just remember, so long as you situate your subjects in a location where the light will produce pleasing results, you’re half way towards making great family photos.
If you’re attuned to the intensity, quality and color of light, you’ll be in a better position to situated those being photographed so that their faces glow and their eyes come to life.
You’ll be excited by what you see and your voice and body language will communicate that enthusiasm back to the folks you’re photographing.
As a result, they’ll begin to understand how beautiful they are and will be happy to linger while you make more family photos.
Needless to say their attentiveness, cooperation and enthusiasm is also heightened during the process.
Not only are they in the spot light, so to speak, but they’re also very much in the moment. And that’s really where life is supposed to be lived.
And, after all, who doesn’t want to look good?
Couple embracing in a leafy outdoor setting in Hamilton, Australia.
Family Photos: The Lasting Value of Experience and Memory
There’s great value in the experience and the memory we associate with making family photos. From my point of view, this is what it’s all about.
The experience of the event, during which the photos were made.
The power of the finished photographs, to elicit an emotional response as we remember the time, place and circumstances during which the photos were made.
The above photo was made in about 30 seconds. It’s a very simple image that works due to the physical connection between the couple depicted.
There’s an honesty and authenticity in their immediate response to my suggestion to move closer together and embrace for the photo.
With their kids watching, it was a lovely moment, created just a short distance away from the other members of the larger, extended family group.
One of the excesses associated with today’s digital age is the tendency for overly retouching skin.
Consumers seem to be far more concerned with what they look like in a photo, compared to what I remember in days gone by.
Why is it that so many people feel the need to compare how they look with the sand blasted skin of celebrities on the front page of magazines?
We all know it’s fake. Folks love to point that out, yet they want to look like those they cast aspersions upon.
Surely, while we all want to look good in a photo, we should also be concerned with whether the photo has accurately recorded a sense of our character, our true nature.
The world is full of blondes, brunettes and red haired folk.
But there is only one you and that’s why, while it’s okay to borrow from others, you should think carefully before too closely copying anyone else’s look.
Unless, of course, the individual in question is Yoda.
Too closely mirroring the look of others comes at the cost of losing your own uniqueness. And, to my way of thinking, that’s akin to idol worship.
Frankly, I’m less interested in this crazy addiction to surface beauty.
I want to see family photos that showcase real people, not some fake illusion of beauty. I want to see someone who has experienced, rather than merely existing within, the world.
I think you’ll agree, the photos shown throughout this post showcase the relaxed and loving relationships between individual family members.
The photos also demonstrate the advantages of making photos in an environment that holds so much memory and meaning for the family.
There are two other reasons why these photos are so important.
Pauline’s mother was terminally ill at the time the photos were made. The whole event was actually a surprise and, after a somewhat rocky start, by the end of proceedings Pauline’s mum was really happy that the photos had been made.
Both Pauline’s mum and dad have passed on since the photos were made, and the family home has now been sold.
That only adds to the importance of these photos and the emotional value in which they’ll be viewed over years to come.
I’m so luck to live my life through the art of photography. It’s helped me to experience the world around me and to better understand my place within that world.
When it comes to family photos, I’m always pleased to be given the chance to document a moment in time that deserves to be preserved.
