4 ideas to take your OWN family pictures!

9:28 AM
Photoberfest: Week 2 is now starting!

This week you will be taking pictures of your family! (Don't fret, I have some idea's as to how you will do this.) Along with learning to take pictures of your family we are also doing our weekly call with Ashlee on Relationships: Owning your own power and creating relationships that honor both of you. The call is completely free but make sure you sign up by using this link. It will take place tomorrow at 12pm CST and will last 45 minutes.



On to taking pictures of our families...

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Getting a family pictures can be, well, daunting. Just because I'm photographer, it doesn't make it any less stressful when it comes to getting that perfect family picture. I know all the pressure of making sure everyone's clothing coordinates and that everyone is happy. I have some good pointers on how to overcome these challenges but that won't be until later in the week.:)


For now I want to give you 4 ways to take your own family photo's:

1- Hand your camera over to someone else. 
Get your camera ready before you hand it over. (i.e. set the exposure, white balance etc.) Then, even if this person has never used a dslr before, the only thing they will need to do is get a good focus. Give them a quick run through of how to focus and then take the shot. Also point out to them to try and not crop out any limbs or important parts. That way you can still crop and compose the image in editing. 

That is exactly how I got these family pictures of my family. My Mom, who has never used a dslr camera, took all of these pictures and then I edited them myself. 








I also handed my camera off to someone while we were at Disney World...


2-Set up a tripod and use your camera timer.
I've actually never done this one but I know it would work great. You can even put your camera on continuous shooting mode then you can get several shots to choose from. Just like when you hand your camera off to someone to take the picture, be sure to take several test shots before you set the timer so you know the exposure and white balance are correct. 

3- Be creative and take some unique cool shots of your family.
I think it's fun to show family unity without taking that traditional family picture. In the following shots I was able to take these pictures (with myself in the photo) by being creative and not nessasarily having our faces in the picture. 

4- Switch with another photographer. 
There are so many photographers out there these days which makes it easy to find someone to switch family photo's with. Asking a fellow photographer to take the pictures is nice because then you don't have to teach the person how to use your camera, they will already know. To make things even easier, you can just give (and take) the unedited images and edit them yourself. That way you are saving the other photographer (and yourself) time and you can also let your own style come through when you edit your own pictures. 

Several years ago my friend, Kristen Duke, and I switched taking pictures of each others families. I love that because she is a fellow photographer she was able to direct us and give us some idea's for different shots. 









I encourage you to try and get some real professional looking pictures of your family. You will be so glad you took the time and effort to do so. And if all else fails at least get SOMETHING for you to have in the future. Perhaps just a snap shot that looks a little something like this:
...at least it's something, right?!



If I’ve just given you some insight in photography, then you’re really going to want to joy me for my free webinar I'm giving live — I’ll be showing you the 3 most vital tips to taking great pictures with your camera plus answering your questions.

It’s guaranteed to be a good one.

Not yet RSVP'd? Learn more here.
FYI: During Photoberfest my books are all 30% off!! Here's a link for info. Use the discount code: Photoberfest



To enter the photo contest: (you can submit up to 3 entries per week)
Simply send me an email (katie@keytopictures.com) with a link to your photo(s) on your blog snapfish.com, flickr, etc. (Sorry but I can't accept any photos that are emailed to me or on facebook.) I will then "pin' your photo(s) to a pinterest board that is created specific for each week of the contest.


Give your friends and family this link to the pinterest board where your photo(s) will be. 

The winner will be chosen at midnight on Friday by whoever has the most "likes" on their photo. So recruit all of your friends and family to go and vote! They have to have a pinterest account to vote. (If they or you don't have a pinterest account yet...now is the time to sign-up! It's awesome. You won't be disappointed.)

One winner each week will receive:
- a complete set of my 3 ebooks: The Key to Taking Pictures Like a Professional Photographer, The Key to Natural Posing, The photo Essential Guide. Check it out here.
 - a $25 gift certificate to choose your very own Camera Coat. This thing is awesome! Check it out here
- a 3 month membership to Rock The Shot Forum. I love this forum, you will learn so much about photography and they give away free stuff all the time! Check it out here



 -a modern, fun, handmade camera strap. These straps are incredibly well made and incredibly cute! Check it out here.

I would love for you to spread the word! I excited to be able to help so many people.  Here is the code to put a button on your blog:

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