Family photography can be the best way to capture precious moments with the people you care the most. Of course, that has its own technique and level of difficulty compared to other photography genres. Besides, taking pictures with many moving subjects is not as easy as one might imagine. So, here are some family photography ideas that you should try.
1. Place the camera so that it is not too close to the subject
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That is one of the family photography tips for beginners. If you shoot too close, then you are forced to zoom out or use a very wide lens. As a result, the shape of a person’s face on the edge will be distorted or deformed. If your place is possible, you should use a focal lens of minimum 30-50mm.
2. Arrange the people to stand or sit close together
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When making a family portrait, you should place the subject close to each other. The goal is the composition looks better and there are no gaps between subjects. Besides, that method can help the distribution of light when you use the flash. But keep in mind that if the subject’s position is too close, there is a potential for people who are covered in shadow. Sure, you need to consider it when you want to photograph at the subject.
3. Apply a triangular composition
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The composition of group photos is the key to getting nice-looking images. One of the compositions that many professional photographers apply is triangles. The trick is to put the person with the highest posture in the middle, while the shortest one is placed on the edge.
4. Use a flash to balance the light
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If the room where you are photographing has minimal light, you need to use the flash. But don’t forget to balance the flashlight with the room light. If both lights are not balanced, the background will look dark and the atmosphere will not be good. The solution is to slow down the shutter speed. Therefore, the room light can be shot perfectly. When using low shutter speed, make sure you use a device such as a tripod or steady.
5. Use reflective techniques
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This family photography trick is quite capable of producing good quality images. If you use an external flash of which head can be rotated, you can apply a reflective technique. So, if the room where you are shooting is not too high, you can reflect light upwards. Thus, the light falling on the subject will look soft and natural.
6. Separating the flash with the camera
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To get good family photos, it’s best to separate between flash and camera. By doing that, we can direct the light, so the subject face looks dimensional. But, if you think the light falling too hard, use a photography umbrella to overcome it.
7. An outdoor shooting trick
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If you decide to take pictures outdoors, don’t forget to look for shade. Thus, the light that falls on the subject face looks the same or not striped. Also, make sure that the sunlight does not shine directly on your face because it can be blinding. But when the sunlight is behind, you might need additional light from the flash. Accordingly, the photo subject doesn’t darken.
8. Take pictures at the dining table or restaurant
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When you photograph in a restaurant, avoid taking photos from the end of the table. That is because the subject face whose position is near you will look very large, while those who are far away from you will appear very small.
If you use a flash, that can be a big problem because the face of someone near you will be very bright and vice versa. In cases like that, it is better to use a long table section. So, the distance between the camera and everyone is more the same.
9. Don’t take pictures when the sky is cloudy
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Avoid shooting when the weather outside is cloudy. That is because the lighting will be less and make the photos not great. The cloudy light is indeed softer, but it’s very difficult to control with a camera.
Photographing on cloudy days will make the light too hard on the face and darken the eyes area. Use a reflector or flash to add the light if needed. Keep in mind that as long as there is no reflection of the light on the subject’s eyes, that means the light outside lacks.
10. Family photography poses
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When taking family portraits, poses are surely very important to produce wonderful pictures. For the fat-bodied subjects, avoid using a wide lens. If there are couples with a huge height difference, then ask that tall person to open his legs wider when standing. That will make him look a little shorter.
11. Take pictures of children smoothly
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The children usually throw a tantrum and can’t sit still when they will be photographed. The Outdoor shooting will actually make it easier for children to relax. Let them joke and play around before shooting.
Here are some guides about family photography that can help you produce memorable images. Hopefully, it can inspire your work!