Collaborative Post
Taking a decent family photo can feel like herding cats. Take a look at our suggestions on how to pull it off and get the best photo you can. Ensure you all have the perfect smiles by making regular visits to Dental Be.
Leave behind the blank studio backdrop
Family photo studios are finally over the cloudy blue backdrop that graced so many Christmas cards and still grace high school yearbook photos, because people like to punish kids. Now the backdrop is white. Much better.
Leave the stark white backdrop and instead go out into the world. Go to the park, the beach, the garden, or anywhere else you can think of that will offer a nice backdrop and let your kids shine in an environment that doesn’t look like a dentist’s waiting room.
And while we’re at it, pull your kids’ backs away from the wall. That combined with the “stand up straight” demand tends to make them look like they’re in front of the firing squad and forced to smile about it.
Be a fly on the wall
Honestly, the best way to capture your little ones at their best is without much preparation at all. Let them loose and just keep the camera handy. Catch them running around, laughing, goofing around with their friends, deep in thought making their next playdough masterpiece, etc. And when you’re done you can put them all together in a photo book by visiting mysocialbook.com
Use a tripod
It’s simple but often forgotten. Don’t rely on sitting your iPhone on a pile of books. There’s no dexterity in that and no way to adjust accordingly. Instead, just buy a cheap tripod. They are really affordable and will make all the difference for a posed photo. You can even get a Bluetooth button that will take the photo for you, as long as you’re okay with having a hand in your pocket for the photo.
Lock the focus
Everyone forgets this one, even when we’re the ones behind the camera or taking a selfie. The focus does its thing and we hit trigger, only to see a blurry mess when we look back at the photo. Can you see the little yellow square that appears? Click it to lock it or move it around if the thing you’re taking a picture of isn’t in focus. Simple.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
Loosen up
No, the kids don’t need help with this. This is for the adults in the room. Don’t demand your kid say “cheese”, because that just results in scary Joker-esque smiles that don’t reach the eyes. Don’t tell them to sit up straight or pose in a certain way because they will overcompensate and look like a soldier that’s tilting backwards. Don’t tell them to sit nice, because it simultaneously doesn’t mean anything to them and has the same effect as “Calm down”: you simply want to scream when you hear it.
And that goes for you too. Play, tickle, smooch, hug, laugh, and loosen up a bit. Your natural smile is your best one, so laugh, or maybe have your partner make you laugh. The 80’s pyramid of children looking off into the right of the frame is too posed and should go. Instead, just be yourselves in your natural behaviour and environment.
Incorporate an activity
And if you’re having trouble keeping your children interested in taking a photo, incorporate an activity into the day. You and they won’t be focussed entirely on how you look and everyone will relax.