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Family photographs are very important to me. They allow me to relive vacation memories,  they’re a means to document the growth of my son, they’ll show my great grandchildren  what I looked like, and I enjoy creating them. Although I’m a great fan of grabbing fleeting candids, I also love to piece together formal creations where I have control over the placement of each subject, what they wear, and the photographic location.

With regards to candids, having a fast reaction time and the ability to predict decisive moments will increase your chances of capturing good ones. What also works well is shooting a lot of pictures. Zoom lenses are an asset as they give you the ability to change compositions more quickly and effectively than if you had to constantly get closer or move farther away from your subject. ISO 400 speed films give you fast enough shutter speeds or high enough apertures to freeze the action or get the necessary amount of depth of field.

With posed images, greater control over the lighting and arrangement of the subjects is an advantage. The photographer decides where to position his models so the lighting, backgrounds, camera positions, and composition are crafted to produce the best possible photograph. Find a location that allows the above facets to fall into place. Get to know the area by visiting it at different times of the day to determine when it’s best to take quality images.

Lighting is key to every photograph. When photographing people, the best type of light with which to work is bright overcast or complete shade. Deep shadows and bright highlights don’t cause problems. Everything is evenly lit producing a soft quality of light mimicked by what studio photographers lay out thousands of dollars to attain. Whether you’re photographing one or many subjects, if it’s sunny, look for a shady area in which to make the picture. If it’s a bright overcast day, thank the weather gods.

It’s important to take the background into consideration. If the setting is busy with lots of distractions, even if you’re photographing Miss America, the picture will have faults. Use locations that have clean backgrounds that complement your subjects. Drive around your neighborhood looking for parks that provide a shady area with a nice backdrop. The time of day is important. As the sun travels form east to west, what’s shaded in the morning may be blasted by the sun in the afternoon.

Composition and/or placement of your family members in your photograph is critical to obtaining a great shot. Don’t just have your relatives simply stand in a spot and “smile.” Arrange them so layers, shapes, or interesting configurations are created. Take into consideration height, clothing colors, age, who in the image you may want to feature, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask people to sit on the ground or kneel down to make the photograph more successful. Study the work of professional portrait photographers to get a feel for how and/or where to pose people in groups.

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