It’s that time of year again… If you’re sending out a holiday card with a family photo included, now is the time to gather everyone up for the annual picture. But taking a family photo doesn’t have to be torture!
1. Get Yourself Dressed! Try not to wear perfectly matching clothes. Instead, coordinate a color palate and have everyone choose items in that group. For instance, grey, navy blue, white, and yellow. Have everyone choose clothes that fit well and fit the mood of the photo.
2. Find a Good Location Look for a spot with good light, preferably in some light shade. If possible, have a darker background behind you. Don’t position yourselves right in front of a wall or fence or tree – create some space between you and the background.
3. Set Up Your Camera Use the self-timer mode and focus on something with lots of contrast, like someone’s eyes or a print pattern on a shirt. Don’t focus on skin – it doesn’t have contrast. Use a tripod if you’ve got one – but if you don’t, place your camera on a steady surface so the camera doesn’t shake or blow over.
4. Get in there! When you frame your shot, make sure to leave a space for yourself. If you have young kids, tell them that something special will happen when the shutter clicks but they have to watch and tell you if it happens. Like, “you might see a picture of Spiderman. Watch for it and let me know if you see it!” Another trick is to play “Simon Says” – Simon Says look at the ground. Simon says look at the flowers. Simon says look at the camera…
5. Don’t Forget to Have Fun Some of my favorite pictures are when everyone forgets the camera is there. Set your timer & run into the frame, then start a tickle fight! Or tell a joke. Or shout, “Simon Says stick out your tongue!” It will break the ice and create some genuine smiles.
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