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TIPS
ON TAKING YOUR OWN MOTHER'S DAY PHOTOGRAPHS
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Greetings!
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Here are some tips on taking great pictures of your mom and family!
Mother's Day is typically filled with family and friends and always provides us with great opportunities to take a picture that we can cherish forever. Rather than wish you had taken pictures later, take the time to make it happen this Mother's Day. You won't regret it.
First of all, Happy Mothers Day to all of you wonderful Moms out there! This is the day set aside to thank you for all the ways that you enrich the lives of your families. Enjoy the day!
Friends and clients often ask me, "What are the tricks to taking a great picture of my family? I can never seem to capture that special moment without something going wrong." As a professional photographer, I can tell you that the "tricks" are little more than common sense combined with experience. Here are a few suggestions.
All photographs are either candid or posed, and there are different guidelines for each type.
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THE POSED PHOTOGRAPH
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In any photograph, clothing is important. If possible, have your subjects wear clothing that is not too loud or bold. This is not a clothing ad, so keep it simple and visually clean. Medium to dark solids always look the best for a traditional picture, but you may want something a bit less formal. In this case put your subject in black pants/dress and a lighter top. Just keep it simple.
Keep in mind that the focus of your picture you are trying to take is the people, not the surroundings. AVOID putting your subjects in front of or next to a spectacular blooming plant in your garden or landscape. While it sounds like a good idea, it usually isn't. Focus on who or what you are photographing, the plant or the person, NOT BOTH! While these blooming plants may make a nice accent in the background, don't let them distract visually from the purpose of the photograph. Here are a couple of examples.
First, let's consider the INDOOR picture in your home, the family room, etc. Keep the background simple and let all the colors blend together. Ask yourself, "is there something in this picture that stands out more than your subjects do?" If there is, get it out of the way. If you are taking a group shot of 5-7 people, try having some sit on a sofa and others sit on the floor. This arrangement will make the grouping more relaxed and pleasing. Pose your subjects in a triangle, not a straight line. Clothing also makes a big difference in group photos. The more people in one picture, the more the clothing should be the similar and simple. Remember, you want to focus on the people, not their clothes. If Aunt Bertha is wearing a flowered dress sitting on a plaid sofa the image is going to be so busy that you won't really notice Aunt Bertha. Likewise, the lighting is important. If you are taking a picture of your mom, pose her in a chair that is comfortable for her, and try to arrange the chair so that light from a nearby window can come in at a 45-degree angle to her face. Adjust your camera so you can add some light from your camera flash or even use a white sheet or some type of reflector to bounce natural light back onto your subject. This is easily done with the help of a family member.
The outdoor image can be a bit more challenging. Always keep in mind where the sun is. You never want your subjects to be looking into the sun with "squinty" eyes. People who wear contacts are always a good indicator of how the sun is affecting your subjects, so take your lighting cues from them. Keep the sun slightly behind or at a 45-degree angle to your subjects, and use a flash to fill in the shadows. Many cameras today will allow you to set the flash in the on position even outdoors for this very purpose. This set-up will give you great light coming over their shoulders from the sun, and your flash will fill in the shadows on the faces of your subjects. If you have a fill-card attachment for your flash or if you can aim the flash up in the air the light will be much softer, making your subjects look even better. I use this trick all the time.
Always make the picture about relationships. Bring in each child separately with mom or grand mom and take many pictures. Maintain a theme to your photography by getting dad or granddad involved in the same way. Remember, photos of two or three people tell us much more about the relationships in our family than does a group shot. Take lots of two-person shots. It is also a great idea to take photos from as many different angles as possible. The same shot over and over from the same angle can get pretty boring. Close-up and mid body shots are going to be the favorites, and remember, grandma wants to see her grandson's face not the pink chair in the background.
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THE CANDID PHOTOGRAPH
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Candid photos are the ones that everyone loves but no one knows how to take. How many times have your heard someone say, " The best pictures of me are always the ones I did not know someone was taking." This is true in my studio as well, so why not take advantage of this phenomenon to create a special image of your family on Mother's Day?
Ok, now I am going to tell you my biggest secret when it comes to taking fine portraits of my clients. I use this technique every day, and so can you. Yousuf Karsh, a famous Canadian photographer, used this technique on most of his subjects with truly spectacular results.
As you are getting your camera gear ready, tell your subjects to relax while you "test" your equipment. Begin taking shots, but allow your subjects to think that you are just setting up the shots. All the while, take photos of them just being themselves while they think they are not being really photographed. The images that you take at this point are real; they have an emotional value to them because your subjects are not posing. NEVER say ok here we go; now I am ready to take your picture so SMILE. NO NO NO. Talk with your subjects while you take their pictures, relaxing them along the way, setting the stage for them to let their guard down and for you to get the best picture you can. Remind them of pleasant things, and make them laugh. Ask your subjects a question and listen to them while you are taking images. If you have a tripod this may help in the Q&A process. The more confidence you have in your technical skills the easier this process will become for you, and you gain confidence by simply taking pictures. Today's digital cameras make taking pictures quick and easy, so take lots of pictures and have fun.
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Stay tuned for more technical information regarding digital photography and printing your own pictures. The key is to have fun and enjoy the journey! Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.
Jay Fletcher
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Jay Fletcher
Fletcher Portrait Artist
404-842-9445
Email us
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