The simple moments, no matter how simple and trivial they may seem at first glance, often turn out to be those in retrospect most precious moments of life out. The best proof of this is a portrait in which the entire family is photographed. It may seem like just a snapshot, but in reality, these shots often are special memories , as time will tell.
Of course, not every photo is suitable for evoking a lasting, beautiful memory. At first glance, this sounds more difficult than it actually is, although a good one group portrait definitely belongs to the premier class of photography.
Two fundamentally important components when photographing families
The typical family is made up of members several generations together. Usually it's the children who are particularly lively when taking pictures and let themselves be distracted by every little thing. In addition to focus, concentration and waiting for the right moment, another aspect plays an important role: The light . As with any photo, light is one of the main actors in group portraits. Atspontaneous photos have photographers no artificial light doing so, then it is all the more important to have the time and space lighting conditions use accordingly.
- Capture quiet moments
about that Portrait of a Family To capture it correctly, the photographer must be able to capture a rare moment of calm. Inexperienced photographers often blame the size of a group or the age of the people to be photographed for the inevitable difficulties. Far too seldom do they realize that in most cases they are actually the problem themselves, but that they can fix it relatively easily. The tripod is not very popular with some amateurs, but it is considered secret weapon of every portrait photographer. It ensures that the photographer becomes a haven of peace. When using a tripod, it can often be observed that the group, in this case the family, positioning aligned with the static camera.
- Give the main role to the light
Photographing literally means nothing more than painting with light. The Light so take that lead role , especially in the case of images that are aesthetically particularly demanding and should stand the test of time. While documentary photography is all about documenting a moment without regard to its aesthetic quality or the time of day, with one it is family portrait the famous tipping the scales that ultimately decides whether the picture is good or just mediocre.
Choose the right time of day
Family portraits on location work best with the natural light of the sun , when low in the sky during the early evening hours. During this „golden hour“ the sun is already particularly low and throws a light that actually resembles the precious metal gold a little with its warmth and its many orange tones.
the shadows flatter the faces and model them so that they are particularly plastic and seem alive . In order to be able to use the sun as a light source in the best possible way, it is also recommended to use onereflector. When photographing a family or other larger group, the reflector should of course correspondingly large be chosen to be able to do all ugly shadows under the nose or chin to effectively fill and thus soften.
Work early with flash and artificial light
To be independent of time of day or season to work, the use of one offers itself early onlightning or oneother light source at. With a little practice you can all lighting moods to imitate. Even in glorious sunshine and the perfect position of the sun, flashes or permanent LED lights provide the finishing touch to the photo.
The best exposure mode and focus lock
Modern digital cameras today bring a variety innovative functions with, which unfortunately are used too seldom. Since more than just one picture is certainly taken in a family portrait, it makes sense to take the exposure time to choose manually. Experienced photographers also opt for one beforehand specified white balance . This guarantees a uniform look and also facilitates the post processing later on the computer clearly.
Another trick of good portrait photographers is to focus lock , the Back button focus or even the manual focus to choose. These methods ensure that the focus always stays where you choose. Normally, cameras focus whenever the Shutter button pressed halfway becomes. However, the modes mentioned above prevent this process and are particularly useful when the distance between the camera and the family hardly changes. This is also evident here tripod as a practical aid .
Nice poses and the right composition of the picture
The secret of good poses in a family portrait lies in the variability of poses . It is essential to avoid poses in which family members are arranged by height or age. The less system is recognizable in the image composition, the better the later photo will work. Are imaginary lines visible in the picture, such as face-to-face, these should be diagonals and not horizontal or vertical lines. In the best case, the photographer brings some stools or boxes to adjust the heights according to the creative ideas to adjust.
The conclusion
behind a good one family portrait stuck actually some thoughts and some practice . If you take the above advice seriously, you will significantly increase the quality of your own recordings within a short time and ensure great family portraits that are always as serve as a reminder .
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