Whilst it is very rewarding to be able to use a camera and know all of its glorious functions, it is often daunting, too technical and requires a lot of practice to get it right. We caught up with Stéphanie of Fairweather Photography for her top tips.
The magic of mobile photography
One way to keep things simple with your camera is to use the Auto function, but this setting will work only at times and quite often will result in blurry pictures.
However we ALL take pics on our phone. It is easy to use, it is portable and we have it on us all the time. Moreover it is possible to take beautiful images of your children using just your phone. The resolution of today’s mobile phones is quite impressive and the use of those devices is really simple compared to cameras.
Here are some very simple tips you can follow to improve or elevate your own images, you’ll be surprised at how those little changes make a big difference to your photography skills:
- Avoid busy backgrounds – it distracts from the subject. Unless the background is telling a story, keep it clutter free.
- Best to move close rather than zooming in – zooming in with your phone will make the image less sharp. The zoom is handy at times but not of great quality. If possible just move closer to your subject rather than zooming in.
- Light is important – always opt for natural light when possible. Window light is great.
- Don’t ask children to pose – PLEASE – and don’t ask them to say “cheese” – it is so last year and will only bring the most cringe-looking smile. Let your kids have fun. Don’t ask them to pose in a way they never do naturally. Plus too much instruction and you’ll miss the moment. It will no longer be genuine.
- Keep it simple – don’t overthink an image. If you like the face your child pulls, take the picture. Simple.
- Lower to your little one’s level, crouching if needed to take an image rather than shooting down.
- If you have an ugly background or untidy area, just convert to black and white!
- Use the Edit function to correct brightness, shadows, crop an image, and so on. Play with the functions and see how you can improve an image.
Important things to note
Make sure you save your images somewhere else other than your phone. How many of us have already paid the ultimate price and lost all our images *raising hand*. I (now) upload all of my personal pics to my home computer and external drive.
Print your images in an album. I did this with Snapfish I think, many moons ago. It was cheap enough to do – I just uploaded all of my pictures and let them randomly put them into an album. Because they were not high quality pics I didn’t want to print them using my professional lab so I was happy for them to be placed at random in a coffee table style album. The kids love flicking through it every so often.
Do videos – I have teenagers with deep voices. Trust me when I tell you we’re in fits of giggles listening to their toddler voices. You do forget how they sound and their mannerisms (*sob*). It’s lovely to watch old vids so do film…
The advantages of booking a photographer
Whilst it is wonderful that phones allow us to take pics anywhere and at anytime and regular cameras have their uses simply set to Auto, booking a photographer once in a while also has its advantages.
- First of all it’s a treat for you (and probably the grandparents too).
- Your photographer will be more creative – it is their job, they know how to shoot families.
- You will get high quality images guaranteed, images that you will be able to print in any format.
- You will have an experienced person guiding you and ensuring your shoot is a success and is enjoyable!
- The photographer has (should have) lots of patience with your children.
- The quality of images will exceed any taken on a phone or by a non-professional person eye.
- You get yourself in front of the camera, for a change…
All of the photos taken on our website are shot by the very clever Stéphanie. Take a look here.
