When it comes to photographing a photographer I imagine it is not always an easy experience. I know this because I am a photographer and I recently had some holiday photos taken of me and my family. You would have thought that I had asked my husband if he wanted his appendix out.
My opinions of how the shot and the subjects should look are endless. So when it comes to having my family photographed I imagine this was only amplified. But to think that a few photos of my family would be easy was my first mistake. So here are some things that I learned about being behind the lens.
Be Considerate Personally, I pride myself on being upbeat and accommodating but it was not until I had “family photos” of my family that I realized how stressful even getting to a photo shoot could be. You never know if your subjects got into a huge argument on their way to the shoot and that you could end up being the one to ease their temperament. I am not admitting to my family and I getting in a huge fight, nor that it took us twenty minutes to drive and park in what should have been five but I am saying to be understanding is key. Thankfully, our photographer was considerate and understanding to our situation.
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Avoid Busy Patterns I know you may have heard that before but I cannot stress it enough. I liken a busy patterned shirt or dress to taking a photo of a TV or computer screen. The images tend to distract from the overall shot. Textures are great and a little coordination is key, but you also do not want to be overly matchy. Overall, you want your subjects to complement each other. In our shoot my husband took the brunt of my artistic interpretation of his hairstyle, down to his sweater. So know that your subjects, often the children, may not be super excited about their wardrobe choices either.
Give Clear Instructions I am not saying that we were difficult to photograph, in fact on the contrary, I think that we posed without much directing. But for someone who is not used to being photographed they may not know how to stand to get rid of a double chin or to slim their figure. Angle the subjects in toward each other and make sure if they are not naturally all touchy to get in close. It is no fun to see a family spread out and not interacting in the shot. You want them to look like they love each other, from their stance to their gaze and not that they were just stuck in traffic.
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A HUGE thank you to Kabir and Ani for our photos this year and for putting up with me and all my opinions.
You can reach me at:
(202) 681-9848
meghan@shotinthedarkphoto.com
