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The Family Vacation And Photography - A Peaceful Offering by Russ Burden Family vacations most often contain an element of tension and disagreement, but here are some tips to get the most out of your trip if you're the photographer of the family. Article rating: 9.11

It’s time for the family to plan its annual vacation. The kids choose Location A, one spouse prefers Location B, and the photographer spouse prefers Location C all the while knowing it will never fly in that there’s nothing for the kids to do. In the end, compromises are made and Location D wins out. So just how does the photographer in you get appeased? The serious photographer can still get his or her pixel capturing fix by adopting a few of the following principles and making a few compromises that get agreed upon before hand.

a) While the family sleeps in and relaxes in the morning, head out for a few hours at sunrise to capture the great light on whatever subject you fancy. From the tallest skyscraper to a tiny flower, subjects bathed in the warm light of sunrise look great. Have an agreed upon meeting time and everyone is happy. Don’t be late.

b) Accept the fact that sunset is family time but expect a compromise that you get to claim a few for yourself. Some sunsets may mean you’re out photographing family members involved in their activities. Go ahead and capture them to build up a stock portfolio. Obtaining a model release is easy.

c) During the day when it’s family time, keep everyone very active. You just may wear them out enough where all they want to do for sunset is relax and you wind up with a bonus shoot.

d) During the day when the light is not at its best, augment it with flash and focus on your family members - more shots for the stock portfolio. Try to keep the photography low key so it doesn’t become the priority. Let the family have fun while you simply document the events. Orchestrating a full blown shoot may wind up backfiring.

e) Promise the kids lots of ice cream and your spouse diamonds or a Ferrari - just kidding!

f) If your family agrees to accompany you on a shoot and things start to fizzle, keep the peace and give into their demands. The light the next day may be even better and they’ll owe you one for what you just did.

g) Use a trusty point and shoot rather than cart around all your gear. Having your complete pack connotes you are taking charge and infringing on their time. Using a point and shoot is less intimidating and you’re still getting your fix.

h) Don’t expect the vacation to be like it was when you had the luxury of being on a photo tour whose entire focus was getting great shots. While you may wish it to be that way, lower your standards, which in turn will make every image you capture more special.

i) Give the camera to your spouse or kids and let them take a few pics having them share in your enthusiasm. More often than not, the photographer in the family is the person who seems as if they didn’t go on the trip in that there’s never any pics of him or her. Let the others take shots of you and have some fun posing.

j) Use the trip to create a nice family portrait that can be used as a holiday card. Turn it into a fun event. Let the kids get goofy for a few shots. While it may not make the cover of Geographic, you’re still practicing your skills of lighting, posing, and composition.

While I don’t profess to be a psychologist, I’ve incorporated a few of the above principles on some family vacations and they do work. Use the ones that seem the most appropriate for you and your family. Good luck and good picture taking.

To learn more about this topic, join me on one of my Photographic Nature Tours. Visit www.russburdenphotography.com and click on the NATURE TOURS button for more information. Also, pick up a copy of my book, Amphoto’s Complete Book of Photography. You can purchase a signed copy directly from me or visit your local book store or Amazon. Contact me at rburden@ecentral.com to order your signed copy.

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