Before you know it the kids will be out of school, day trips will be planned and you’ll likely be heading off somewhere for a summer vacation. Whatever your plans, memories will be captured by either your phone or digital camera.
Here are some tips to get the best photos of all your summer adventures…
- Let your kids enjoy the moment and photograph that. Chances are very high that you will love the photo more because your subject isn’t looking at you with a cheesy smile. Also this way, you will capture the memory, not just the photo.
- Speaking of cheesy smiles, don’t have your subjects say ‘cheese. Ask them to say a word that ends in Y. Anything ending in Y automatically creates a natural smile. It will be an even bigger grin if that word happens to be Candy.
- Shoot at the level your kids are at. Most times this means sitting or laying down on the ground. It’s a whole different world at their level. When I’m shooting “portrait style” pictures, the eyes are always the focus. However, if your child is showing you a bug, flower or other discovery, focus on what is in their hand. Don’t be afraid to crop their head out a little.
- Get in close so your child takes up the majority of the frame. I’d rather see a child’s expression than the background any day.
- Don’t let your kids grow up to be jpegs. Print some of those memories out. I have frames in my house that have constantly rotating photos.
Here’s to a great summer with memories that last a lifetime.
About the Author:
Cherie-Lynn Buchanan is a wife, mother of two, sister to three, and friend to many. Every time she gets behind her camera she is amazed that she gets to do this for a living. Cherie-Lynn is a big believer that images belong in frames or albums, and on walls. In today’s digital world too many special memories are left on hard drives. Hard drives crash and people are left with nothing. You can take a look at some of Cherie-Lynn’s work on her website www.clbuchananphotography.ca and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.
