Family is everything. The best moments spent with our loved ones are often the ones captured in lenses. Unlike like other photo sessions, family photographs scenes are full of love and passion. For the photographer who wants to capture the best of times for family member, you must have in mind a couple of insightful ideas.
What are their Expectations?
People are different. For photographers, that is an aspect worth remembering. For professional photography, everyone might want to play cool and decent so figuring out their needs might not really be difficult. With family photo sessions, you should expect a whole lot of difference. It is fair enough knowing your clients beforehand and probably sending questionnaires. What are their personalities? What poses are their favorites? Having answers to such questions will grant you an easy time when going through the shooting sessions.
Learn the art of seamless pose transitions
If you want to capture family members in the best of ways, you will need to have an idea of timeless poses that will grant them the best look. Even more, you should be keen on the pose transitions in order to achieve a smooth shooting process. That requires planning. In the case of extended families, you might want to have grandma and grandpa positioned first. From there, you can build the poses slowly by adding in other family members. At the end of it all, you do not want to grandma to keep moving up and down. Think of it this way; have the elderly maintain the same postures while you alternate the same for the others.
It’s all fun
The family photo session isn’t the time to keep everything official and serious. Instead, you should let every moment count by making it fun. Experienced photographers will tell you this; make it a game. Especially for the little one, you should ensure you capture their best moments. You can probably ask them to tell you a story and capture it in the middle of everything. Get cozy and easy with the family member or even make weird noises to get those easy laughs from the family members. At times, it might mean asking mom and dad to walk into a separate room. Do not shy away from doing so because your carrier might depend on it.
‘Get Closer’
Well, this works magic for family photographs and photographers as well. Just when everyone has posed for the photos, ask them to move closer to one another. Be more affectionate. Get closer. Show emotions. After all, family photo session is all about capturing the love and not perfect poses. Do not let them stand stiff and bored next to one another. They will appreciate you later for reminding them to squeeze and get closer during the photo sessions.
You’re the Photographer
At the end of it all, you should always remember that you are the photographer. You should make important decisions like the time you would like to take the photos and the photo locations. Visit the places beforehand and have everything planned out prior. You will thank yourself later.