Five simple tips to capture beautiful photos of your family in 2021.
Here I am sharing five simple tips to create beautiful, natural and fun photos of your family this year. With more time at home this year and more quality time with the kids, why not capture your everyday moments and cherish those memories. Here’s a few simple tips to help you.
1 - Capture the natural moments within your photo
My top tip - always have a camera close by to capture those sporadic, once in a lifetime moments. These moments are rare, they are special and they are emotive. These moments capture the real memories. The memories your children connect with because of the way they felt. The phone makes this even easier with a camera easily accessible and usually close by. When you feel the urge to capture that special moment, grab your camera and focus on the emotion and the moment that you are connecting with.
2 - What are you focusing on in your image?
When you go to grab your camera (or phone camera) quickly think, what I am focussing on? What feeling are you trying to capture? This is your focus. For instance, if it is a specific person then make them your focal point. If it is a sunset, then change your focal point to ensure you capture the image just right.
On every phone you can now do this by simply touching the screen with your finger and selecting the focal point (usually a square box). On a camera you should be able to manually adjust the focal point or select it with your finger.
It really is that simple and it can take your images from “ok” to “wow”.
Give it a try, it really is worth it.
3. Get the lighting right for your photography
So I am a natural light photographer and for me personally there is no better light. Lighting can be a tricky subject though. On a bright sunny day at the height of summer you are going to encounter strong contrasts and lots of shadows. On a dull winters day the light will be low and sometimes can feel uninspiring. Capturing images inside can be even harder when the light is so low. However there are a few little tips to help work with the natural light around you.
Firstly, when capturing family photos inside you ideally want to use the natural light from a window. Capture the person with the light falling on to the person’s face and highlighting the moment for you. Alternatively get outside. On a bright sunny day you will encounter some shadows. My advice - embrace them. This is real everyday life. Always try to capture the moment with the sun to the side of the person and not directly in front or behind. The best time to get out there and capture your family memories is actually on an overcast grey day. There will be very few shadows and a beautiful soft light.
4 - Framing - what’s in the frame of your photo?
Let’s move on to framing. Simply put, check the edges of your frame. What’s in the image? Are there any random objects half peeping into the image? Can you step closer and remove them from the edge? You do not want anything to distract from the focus of the image. You do not want anything to distract the eye from the story you are capturing. This is something that is brilliant to be aware of as you capture the image in the moment. However you can also go back to this and edit the image afterwards. I recommend you do this before having any of your images printed or framed.
5 - Think in thirds and create a brilliant photo.
Simple composition can really help add balance to an image and draw the eye into the focal point. When you capture an image split the frame into thirds - from top to bottom and side to side. Place your subject in one third of your image. There are many other photography composition rules you can learn but this is one of the simplest and easiest rules to follow and add interest to your images.
My final tip - just have fun and remember sometimes rules are meant to be broken. It’s more important to capture the moment than to focus on getting it just right. In fact I love to encourage people to just have a go and get creative. These tips are there to help you but actually we are all unique and we all have our own individual style of capturing an image. When I work with clients out in nature and on nature walks I always love to see each person embracing their creative side and playing in the moment. So, just have fun and capture those memories. Feel free to share with me on instagram too. #findyourselfinnature #clairevictoriaphotography
And if you have any questions get in touch.
