Everyone knows that taking family portraits can be a real pain. We like to have as much fun as we possibly can while taking family photos, it makes for better photos and a happier toddler. From bribing your little ones to choosing the right time of day, these tips will make the experience a little less tedious.
1) Get a professional photographer, a friend, or have a wifi or bluetooth enabled digital camera, we love using our Fuji X100T. Getting a professional photographer is a great experience, there are many great photographers who specialize in family portraits. However, not everyone can always afford to go out and pay for a two-hour session with a pro. Having a friend take the photos can also be a great experience. Having someone your children are already comfortable with, can greatly play to your favor.
For the photo above, we used our FujiFilm X100T, a wonderful little mirrorless digital camera. For this photo we simply set the camera to wifi mode, synched it through the Fuji Camera app (which can be downloaded on any iPhone or Android device) and voila, your iPhone has turned into a wireless monitor for your camera.
2) Bribes. Yes, we are guilty of bribing our son with chocolate or fruit snacks as a reward for smiling nicely for the camera. And it works. There's nothing wrong with rewarding your little one with a treat for taking a nice photo.
3) Make it fun. Our little guy has trouble sitting still sometimes, as many toddlers do. We like to get him up and running around, playing a game of chase to loosen him up in between photos. It puts him in a great mood and makes for better images. It also makes for some adorable candid shots of your little one playing.
4) Choose the right time of day i.e. in the morning or in the late afternoon. We learned this one the hard way. The last time we did a family portrait we regrettably decided to take photos in the early afternoon in the summer months, which was way too hot. Morning is the best time to take photos. Its nice and cool, less humid, and the lighting is simply the best.
5) Pick the right spot, use a space thats familiar to your family so it holds a deeper connection and your kids will be comfortable there. Also, if you choose a public space try to plan your portrait session for the least busy time for that space. Here in Vero beach, we love to take photos at the beach, Riverside Park, and Jungle Trail.
Photos taken by Phil Sunkel.
