Are your family portraits not turning out the way you’d like? Find out how to capture superior shots with five tips from professional photographer and author Kirk Tuck. Plus, access even more essential techniques for shooting the high-quality photos families demand when you enroll in his online Craftsy class Professional Family Portraits for FREE now!
1. Form triangles when positioning large groups.
When it comes to posing big groups, odd numbers are best. It’s also important to take dynamics into account. Arrange your subjects in triangles and have family members slightly face each other to show a connection.
2. Use your phone to captivate toddlers.
Toddlers are particularly hard to pose and it can be difficult to maintain their attention; make the best of the small window of time you have with them by limiting their distractions. Encourage their parents to step out of the way so that the child only has one director: the photographer. Get down on their level, and use simple items like little blinking LED lights, key chain lights, pinwheels and all sorts of small, shiny objects to capture their attention and achieve that wonderment-look. You can even use a lit match or a phone ringtone!
3. Work with off-camera flash to bring out the best in mature subjects.
Situate your subjects in their living room for incredible environmental portraits. Use off-camera flash as your main light, and use umbrellas (cheap and easy) to modify the light.
4. Transform your garage into your own convenient studio.
In a few simple steps you can transform any garage into a studio. When you lift a garage door you will get great ambient light coming in! If the garage is cluttered, bring a gray seamless backdrop. You’ll also need white foam core, a light stand, umbrella and battery operated flash. Be sure to consider the color of the walls and ceilings when bouncing flash, too, because colored walls can tint your images.
5. Take to the digital darkroom for the best results.
No photo is complete until it has been taken into the digital darkroom: Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Use the healing tool to remove scars and soften wrinkles in Photoshop. And, use the sliders in your layers to make believable changes in skin blemishes, like wrinkles. The best sliders to use are temperature, tint, exposure, contrast, clarity, vibrance and sharpening.
Now that you have a few tricks under your belt, take the next step towards family portrait success when you enroll in Professional Family Portraits for FREE! Watch your class any time, anywhere, forever as Kirk reveals the best techniques for lighting, posing and composition to capture perfect family photos every time. Kirk will even critique your photos and answer any questions you have as you go.
What are some of your favorite tips for photographing families?
This has been a sponsored post kindly brought to us by Craftsy.