Tips for Taking Pictures at Home
Let’s face it. A new addition to the family comes with lots of benefits! A tiny little human to bring you lots of entertainment, love and responsibility! Getting professional photos done may not be on your list of priorities. People usually regret not having professional photos done for special times like during pregnancy, newly born children, first birthdays, Christmas, Hannukkah , Eid or other cultural celebrations, but what about the everyday moments. With cell phone cameras being so accessible, we often point and click at every little thing and miss truly enjoying the moments. Perhaps a shift in thinking could bring a new dynamic to documenting everyday life. Here’s a few tips to give you permission to put down your phones and still make time to capture those fun family moments:
Think about all of the upcoming events you have planned for the next several months. Make a list and decide that you will be capturing your family at these times and take away the stress of constantly taking pictures of them on a daily basis.
Remember “less is best”. It truly is. When you clutter your facebook and Instagram feed with picture after pictre of your children people tire of seeing them. When you surprise them with a few quality photos from time to time people are more likely to appreciate them and take time to look.
Capture them in action rather than a posed shot looking into the camera. These make for more interesting photos. You want to remember the experience.
Try to put the action as the focal point and place it on one of the thirds of your frame. (see Rule of Thirds on )
Hold your phone or camera as steady as possible.
Check the background and remove any unnecessary clutter.
Add a few props for special occasions but do not go overboard.
For your own Seasonal celebrations, consider taking photos in a mall or market that has seasonal decorations.
Grab a couple of hats and mitts and head over to the park or conservation area on a snowy weekend. Take some photos of your family playing the snow.
Grab a pumpkins and head to a park. Take a few pics under the fall leaves that have turned colour.
Take pictures of them playing with grandparents. You can also do the classic poses of hands over hands.
Take a picture of your children while they sleep.
You will be more pleased with a few pre-planned photos throughout the year, rather than a thousand similar ones.
Don’t forget to download them into a photo book. What a nice gift your whole family will enjoy looking at and revisiting for years to come.
P.S Don’t forget to schedule in a few “mini sessions” with your favourite professional photographer as well!
