I'm a firm believer in professional photography (um, okay, it's how I make my living in Central Illinois :) ). However, I understand that often times you're with a group of friends hanging out in your backyard in Pekin or Peoria, or a small birthday gathering with family, and you just want to get some good pictures using your own camera or even your cell phone. So I've put together my top three basic tips for taking better pictures.
Tip #1: Finding the Best Light: Open Shade
Open Shade. It's the number one tip I can give anyone for where you'll find the best light for pictures. Open shade can help you avoid the "squinties and blinkies,"
as well as the "unintentional silhouette."
Although SOMETIMES you want the "intentional silhouette" (but that's a how-to for another blog post).
So, what is "Open Shade" and how do you find it? Open shade is anywhere that is shaded from direct sunlight, but still has ambient light around it. Look at the ground. Where ever you see shade, surrounded by sunlight, is perfect.
The structure that creates the shade can be almost anything! A barn, a house, a tree, a fence, a building downtown, even under a bridge.
Just have your subject facing any lighted area to allow for some of the ambient light to reach them without harsh shadows, and you're set.
A word of caution, watch out under trees for dappled light, or you'll end up with speckles of light all over your daughter's or your son's beautiful face.
Here are some examples of pictures taken in open shade. I use trees, barns, columns, alleys, fences, stairways, even under a bridge.
Tip #2: Posing
Posing can be a challenge. We instinctively want to stand the tallest people in the back and the shortest in the front. This can result in a large empty space between faces, and can often look stiff and disconnected.
Instead, I find that if I start with posing one or two people (for family pictures, I'll start with Mom and Dad), and then have everyone slip in to the open spots around them, I end up with a beautiful, natural pose. If the people you're photographing are seated, I prefer to have the taller people sit in front, and the shorter people stand or kneel behind them. This keeps their faces closer together.
Another important tip when posing is CONNECTION. Ask people to physically connect with at least one other person near them. Holding a hand, placing a hand on a thigh or an arm, looping elbows, anything to be sure that everyone is touching at least one other person.
And then, I ask people on the outside to lean in just a tiny bit toward the center. A slight tilt of the head toward the person next to them is usually just the right touch for showing love and intimacy between family members.
Tip #3: Creating Authentic Emotion
I think some of the best pictures are those where family and friends are interacting, are telling a story, are playing and tickling and laughing. After getting some good posed shots, try spontaneous jokes, silly noises, even ask a serious question to evoke true, authentic emotions. Playing games and tickling each other is also a fun way to get people to stop posing and start just being themselves. Some of my favorites are:
run under the blanket
hug your brother
run circles around mom and dad
everyone tickle mommy, on the count of 3, jump!
hold hands and everyone walk while looking at anyone but me
dance
what's your favorite cocktail?
run as fast as you can!
twirl your dress and shout, "I'm Batman!"
look at your son and with your eyes tell him how proud you are of him
who is mom's favorite?
who has the messiest bedroom?
who takes the longest to get ready in the morning? and the ever popular
who has the stinkiest farts?
The most important tip is to just take LOTS of pictures every chance you get. These memories will be treasured for generations, so be sure to print them, too!
And, when you're ready for some professional pictures of your family, get in touch with me. It's my most favorite thing to do for you. You can find my portfolio and pricing on me website.
Smile!
xo,
~Lisa
Lisa Pallardy is one of Pekin, Illinois' best family and senior portrait photographers, photographing families and seniors in Pekin, Peoria, and Central Illinois areas for over 7 years.
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