A photoshoot was almost a sacred moment in the film camera era. Today everyone has a camera on a smartphone enough to hold thousands of photos. However, most of the pictures taken by phone cameras get lost in the pile of others, and few people even look at them after taking them.
If you want to capture family photos for future use, for example, for hanging on the wall, creating a photo book, or preserving some precious memories. You have to be intentional at being creative with your camera and post-processing. This guide highlights some creative family photos you may have seen but never knew how they are created, so read on to learn.
Incorporate Action
Natural reactions make for the best photos; the best time to capture natural reactions is when the subjects are unaware you are taking pictures. However, this calls for traveling or walking around with your camera and snapping away as perfect opportunities present themselves.
For example, you could capture images of your kids chasing each other or lying. You can incorporate some action even when your subjects know you are taking pictures. For example, take pictures as your subjects prepare to stand or sit for the picture.
Blurry and In-Focus Backgrounds
Portrait photographs will either have an in-focus or a blurred-out background. If you have a beautiful background, say you are in Disneyland, you may want to keep your background in focus for memory’s sake. In other settings, you may want to focus on your subjects but have the background blurred out to make the subjects pop.
Having everything in focus or blurred out depends on the camera’s aperture setting (if you use a DSLR). If you take your pictures with a small aperture, everything will be in focus. If you open your aperture wider, only the subject will be in focus while everything else will be blurred out. It is also possible to have a blurred effect during post-processing using photo editing tools.
Optical Illusions
Optical illusions are an excellent side of showing your creative side of photography. There are many ideas for creating an optical illusion. However, the easiest way of achieving an optical illusion is erasing the background and replacing it with a background or an illusion that shows what you want to achieve.
For example, you may want to make it look like your kids are flying. All you would need is to have your kids lie or stand on a uniformly colored background and strike a pose that looks like they are flying, and then perform background removal for your photos in post-processing, replacing the background with your desired backdrop or art.
Silhouette
The purpose of taking pictures is usually to show the faces and emotions of the subjects. But creativity calls for going off the beaten path to create something unique that captures every moment, and silhouettes are an example of such photos.
To create a silhouette, the subjects must be between the camera and the light source, making shadowy outlines of the subjects rather than showing their faces or clothes. The best time to create silhouettes in sunsets after a long day outdoors.
You can make it more dramatic by adding action, such as jumping at once while raising your hands. When done right, silhouette photos can make a good piece to hang in your living room.
Capture the Cheeky Moment
Being an expert may not always mean getting the best moments. So allow your kids to try their hands on the camera too. There are some poses and things they will not do when you are behind the camera but will when they are on their own.
Let them capture their cheekiness and the faces they make. Luckily you do not have to worry about the film running out, and you can always delete the pictures you don’t like. On the bright side, you may get some pictures they will appreciate for the rest of their lives.
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