There are many reasons why a family should consider getting new family portraits.
Perhaps the most important reason is that family portraits are a way to capture your family’s history.
Family portraits also help to preserve your family’s legacy and provide a way for future generations to connect with their ancestors. Family portraits can also be a source of comfort and pride for families and can help to strengthen the family bond.
Of course, family portraits aren’t always easy.
Family portraits can be hard because it is not always easy to get everyone to look at the camera and smile at the same time.
Especially when there are young children involved, it can be tough to keep them still and make sure they are looking good in the photos and for some parents the thought of battling the kids just to get a couple of photos can feel like more trouble than it’s worth.
Enter Simon James Photography.
Simon James is a Melbourne-based photographer with over three decades of experience.
In this article, he provides his personal checklist for taking great family portraits.
Meet The Family: The first step to successful family portraits
Meeting the family is so important and is really the first step I take to help ensure that the family portraits I take for my clients are a success.
I want to get to know them, find out what they’re like and what kind of photos they’re after.
I also want to make sure that everyone is comfortable with me and with the process of taking photos and where the photos will be taken.
It’s also important for me to understand how the photos will be used.
Are they looking for a digital collection of photos? Do they want a big 50cmx75cm print to go on the wall? Are they after a couple of 13cmx18cm photos to give to the grandparents as a gift?
Understanding this is crucial to planning the shoot and the sorts of imagery we need to create.
Arrive Early: Make the kids comfortable with family portraits
Once the brief is completely understood and the shoot day arrives, I always ensure I arrive early, especially if there are young children involved.
By nature, most children are shy when it comes to meeting new people…especially new people shoving cameras in their faces and telling them to smile!
That’s a great way to get the kids offside straight away.
Instead, I find it important to get to the shoot location early and let the kids see me casually chatting with their parents and family members so that they feel more at ease around me.
I want to ensure the children see me as someone they can trust, and maybe even a subject of curiosity. Maybe they want to know more about my camera, or they want to see the photos I take.
However we need to do it, getting the kids comfortable and happy being photographed is crucial to any successful family portrait session.
Take children’s family portraits where they are comfortable
Finally, it’s important to photograph children somewhere they feel safe and comfortable.
Maybe it’s in their playroom, playing with their toys. Maybe it’s in the backyard or at the park running around like headless chooks!
Wherever it is, the happier the kids are, the better the photos.
There often is a balance to be achieved between ensuring the kids are having fun and getting the shots we need, particularly if you are after more formal, posed photos, but it’s a balance always more easily achieved with a happy child.
Melbourne Family Portraits
Simon James Photography is a Melbourne-based photography studio that specialises in family portraits.
Contact Simon today for more information!