Photo Tip: Include Yourself in the Picture

One comment I hear a lot when photographing families is that mom (or dad) is never in the family's pictures, because she is usually the one taking them. If you are that mom (or dad), give your family photographic proof that you were there, by employing these suggestions and including yourself in the picture. I would love to see and hear about the creative ways you've included yourself in the picture (e-mail me or describe them in the comments).



Do It Yourself:

Arms Length - Have everyone gather in close, hold the camera out as far as you can with it pointed back at you and shoot. It takes practice (learning where to point the camera and trying not to scrunch your chin into your chest - unless you want a lot of extra chins), but can be really effective at capturing spontaneous moments of everyone together. Digital cameras make this easier than ever because you can see if the technique "worked" or if you need to reshoot.

Timer or Remote - Most modern cameras have a self-timer, which allows you to put the camera on a tripod or other solid surface, compose the picture (leaving some space for yourself), activate the timer and quickly move into the picture. Read your manual to find out more.

Reflections - Capture your reflection in a mirror, window, or other reflective surface. Remember to turn off the flash (or angle the camera) to avoid the picture being of a bright white spot.

Shadows




Accessorize:

Combine the versatile GorillaPod with your camera's self-timer or remote, to get the shot just about anywhere.





Involve Others:

Appoint an assistant - Assign another member of the family to take pictures for a while.

Ask a passerby - People are very friendly and generally willing to help out.

Hire a professional - Photographing families is what we do. We will travel nearly anywhere to capture your family in action and guarantee that you will love the results.

Photo Tip: Read The Manual

What's the best way to decipher your camera's sometimes cryptic icons? The Owner's Manual.

Whether your camera is old or new, digital or film, SLR or point-and-shoot, I encourage you to get out the manual and read it. While not a best seller, the manual is one of the best resources for learning all of the functions and settings of your camera.

Find a setting that is new and interesting to you and practice using it every time you take a picture over the next week. Choose another feature next week. You will be surprised by some of the creative things you can do with your camera and how quickly these adjustments become second nature.

If you do not have the manual, you may be able to download it from the manufacturer's website, I've listed several popular manufacturers below. If a link does not take you directly to downloadable manuals, look in the "support" section of their website.

Canon
Casio
Fuji
Hewlett Packard
Kodak
Konica-Minolta
Nikon
Olympus
Sharp
Panasonic
Pentax
Samsung
Sony
Toshiba

Need help with some technical terms, go to PhotoNotes or Wikipedia.

Photo Tip: Capturing Fleeting Moments

Anticipating the action and pre-focusing (at the bottom of the slide, for example) can help you capture the excitement at the end of the ride.

One of the most common complaints I hear about digital cameras is that it is impossible to photograph children because of the delay from when the shutter button is pushed to when the camera actually records the picture. This delay is called shutter lag and can be maddening when trying to photograph children (or other fast moving subjects). I had to use an old digital point-and-shoot camera on our recent trip to San Francisco and got lots of shots of the back of Ethan's head and Ethan walking out of the picture (I was so frustrated I bought a new one as soon as we got home).

Here are a few suggestions to help reduce shutter lag:

Turn your camera on before you need it.

Pre-focus: Press the shutter button half way down and hold (this allows the camera to focus, but does not take the picture). Wait for the right moment then push the shutter button the rest of the way down. Note: if the subject has moved closer to or further from the camera, you may have to refocus.

Anticipate the action: Try to anticipate where your moving subject will be when you want to take a picture. Pre-focus on that area and be ready to push the shutter (press a little sooner than usual). If you want your child to be looking at the camera, position yourself in front of her, pre-focus, then get her attention and press the shutter button. If you let your subjects know when you're going to take the photo by counting down from three, press the shutter on "one" and keep counting to three.

Better yet, don't worry about posing, smiling or looking at the camera, just capture your child doing her thing.

Get a faster memory card: Your camera may not take advantage of the fastest memory cards available, but slower cards can definitely slow down the recording of your pictures, increasing the amount of time before you can take another picture.

Turn off the display: Instead of using the display on the back of the camera to compose and review your pictures use the optical viewfinder and edit your pictures later on your computer. The camera will be a bit faster since it does not have to recreate the picture on the display and you will conserve the battery allowing you to take more pictures.

Charge (or replace) the batteries: Cameras need power to reset the sensor, focus on the subject and record the picture. Batteries that are low can slow down the process. Batteries can go bad after years of use. If yours isn't holding a charge for very long, it may be time to buy a new one.

Upgrade: There is only so much that these tips can do to decrease shutter lag. If you have an old digital camera, it may be time upgrade. Digital cameras have gotten much faster over the last couple years. Need help choosing a new camera, check out our list of camera review sites. These sites can help you choose the right camera for your budget and needs.