In this article, Annabel Williams, who is now teaching via her blog
, which shows you her latest shoots, tells you all kinds of interesting things happening in the photography world, and also answers any questions you have about photography, shares five of her tips on shooting portraits of families.
1. Shoot Groups First
Try and shoot the family together first, because younger kids in particular will feel more confident and be more obliging if they are with their parents.
2. Organise Your Group
To arrange family groups - always start with the tallest person - usually Dad, then bring in Mum, and then arrange the children around them, depending on their sizes. Babies can sit on Dad's shoulders or knee. Older kids can stand between seated parents, and put their arms around their shoulders etc.
3. Clothing Choices
Try and coordinate everyone's clothes - not to the extent that they are all matching! But if one person is in red and the rest in blue for example, the red one will really stand out. Try and use clothes that blend together but are not identical.
4. Hold Hands And Have Fun
Try getting the family to hold hands - usually with Mum & Dad in the middle works best, and a child each side - or one on Dad's shoulders, depending on how many children - and then get them all to run towards you while still holding hands. It usually makes them laugh - you have to take a few shots and do it over and over again, shooting from different angles to achieve the perfect shot!
5. Find A Gate
Try using a gate to position people - have the parents leaning on the gate from behind, and put the toddler between them sitting as if he's on a horse, straddling the gate (not the horse- the child!). Then get older children to stand in front of the gate - or standing on a rung of the gate from behind, depending on how tall they are. Gates make great places to group people, because you can use different bars for different heights of people!
For more images, tips and ideas, visit Annabel's new Techy Free Zone at www.annabelwilliams.com