Telling Your Story Through Photography

“Photograph your family, and document your life as it is now – craziness and all.  With time, you may find photos of your everyday life more beautiful than any portrait ever could be.  The mundane, the chaos, and the small acts of everyday love that make up your life are the photos you are likely to treasure years from now.  These are the photos your children will want to see when they grow up.”

-Kristen Lewis, Photographer

Always Have Your Camera Ready

Don’t leave your camera in the camera bag, put it somewhere safe in your home where you can grab it quickly.  There is nothing wrong with using a mobile phone. “The best camera is the one you have with you.”  Capturing the moment with whatever photographic device you have on you.

Let Them Be

Let your subject keep doing what they are doing.  Focus on capturing true moments and memories.  Be a silent Shooter.  

If you are noticed taking pictures tell them:  “It’s OK I’m just watching.  You can just ignore me.”

Step Back

Include a sense of place, which means you need to back up!  When shooting indoors this often means you need to back up against a wall to get as much of the room into the photo as possible.

The Details

Remember to also get in close and capture those tiny details that can so easily be forgotten over time.

Persuasion

I'm not ashamed to admit that at times I employ a little persuasion (bribery)!  When my little ones don't want to cooperate, often the promise of sweets is enough to get them on board.  Most of the time they will add to my vision and do their own thing to make the photo even better.

Favourite Things

Telling our stories can include more than just people.  Take photos of those things that are important and special to you and your family.  Bunny is practically one of the family, after all!

Embrace the Imperfections

Let go of the idea of a perfect photo.  Embrace the imperfections of both your images and of life itself.  Don’t let an imperfect house stop you from capturing photos of your family.  Imperfections can strengthen the photo and help to tell your story.

Include Yourself!

We talk about how important it is to document life, to capture memories for our families, to have a visual history of the day-to-day.  Well, you’re a part of that!  You need to be in the pictures!

So put yourself in front of the camera once in awhile.  Hand the camera to someone else.  If no one is around, I use a tripod with a remote, or the timer setting.

Know When to Put the Camera Down

Don’t miss out on quality time and special experiences with your family and children because you are always stuck behind the view finder.  Take a few photos, then put the camera away and enjoy living in the moment.