You can’t always hire a professional photographer, but you can learn a few secrets to improve your home pics with these family photo tips.
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In a perfect world, my family would take amazing group photos every season to capture special memories forever.
In the real world, I can’t afford professional family photos every year or even convince my tweens to smile in most pictures. That doesn’t mean I need to go without them. Today I want to share my best family photo tips to take family photos yourself at home.
Professional photos are worth every penny. Sometimes you don’t quite have that many pennies in the budget, but that doesn’t mean you should settle for funky phone selfies. (Although phone selfies are still better than no pictures!)
I have taken a lot of terrible photos in the past. Blurry, cluttered backgrounds, and scowling kids. I’m old enough to remember when you had to wait for the film to develop at Walmart before you could find out if the photos you took were good quality.
Taking good photos requires practice. It also doesn’t hurt to take 10 times as many photos as you think you want. Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way to make my photos a little better.
Note: All the photos below were taken by me on either my digital camera or smartphone. The image at the top is a stock photo because trying to use your smartphone to take a photo of yourself taking a photo with your own camera is a bit mind-boggling.
Family photo tips
1. Use the camera you have.
I purchased a nice camera several years ago (the Canon Rebel T5) but still take plenty of photos on my smartphone. The Canon is not a cheap camera, but I use it several times per week, so it was definitely worth the investment. But often I just grab my phone because it’s always close by.
Read your camera’s instruction manual, find a few online tutorials, and play around with the settings until you’re comfortable using it.
2. Get yourself in the picture.
For lots of families, mom is the photo-crazy person and everyone else is in the picture. The thing is, it’s going to be weird and a little sad when you look back and it looks like you weren’t there. (I have too many photos taken like that.)
Use a tripod and set the timer on your camera. Ask your family members to take photos of you. And don’t be afraid to ask a stranger to snap a photo of you and the family in a public place like the zoo or Disneyland.
3. Go outside for natural light.
Natural sunlight makes everyone look good. Your camera needs more light than you think to take a great photo. If you’re outside during the day, you won’t need to use a flash. As a bonus, the great outdoors is the perfect background.
The ideal outside light is bright but slightly cloudy. If it’s very sunny, look for a well-lit area of shade. Even if you’re taking photos indoors, find the area with the best light and have your subjects facing the window.
4. Forget about posing.
It never fails that when I want to take a photo of my family, my children cannot smile naturally. (See above, my youngest’s “smelled a fart” expression.)
Instead of trying to shoot an awkward family mug shot, capture people doing their everyday things. Candid photos tell a much better story and when you look back, will remind you of that place and time. Ask your child to tell you a story, talk about what they’re doing, or do something other than looking straight at the camera.
5. Don’t ignore the background.
Sometimes life just isn’t that glamorous. I have tons of photos I took when my kids were toddlers, just playing at home, and the background is cluttered with so much stuff. Try different angles, move a few items out of the shot, or get in closer.
If you’ve got some practice in with the camera settings, you can adjust the lens to a wider aperture or longer focal length. The best way to learn this is through trial and error with your camera.
You don’t need to use all of these tips at once. Try a few out and decide which ones you like best. Ultimately, when everyone is relaxed and having fun, your photos are going to turn out great.
What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:
Hey, Keri!
I found this post really helpful! Shooting a good family book could be challenging. Also, in the Photography world, I think it’s VERY important to keep learning and renewing all the knowdeledge that we have. I try to improve some aspect of my work everyday, I’ve realized eveything about Photography is constantly changing.
So, thank your for your nice tips!
Thanks! Photography is definitely something that I’m still learning new things about all the time. It can be pretty daunting when you’re not a pro.