We are more than a little obsessed with capturing and preserving memories for our families. We all take photos every day of our children, our families, our pets – even or food. Social media networks, particularly Instagram, give us a platform to share our photos not only with our close friends and family but with a worldwide audience should we wish to. More of us than ever are taking an interest in photography – we all have decent cameras on our smartphones, and professional quality cameras, once reserved for only professionals, are now readily available and accessible to everyone. It’s so much easier now to edit photos in an almost professional way, even if they are taken on an iPhone. There are various apps that you can use to edit straight on your phone, or you can learn how to use how to use Airdrop on Mac – Setapp to switch photos between your phone and computer to edit. In short, photography is more popular than ever before.
Photos can mean so much to people. They capture memories for a lifetime, being brought out at weddings, funerals, birthdays, graduations and cooing over those moments in years gone by. However, there is a catch to this. It can be far too easy to become so focused on capturing memories for our family and of our kids that we can sometimes tend to forget to be part of making memories WITH our family. If we are constantly stuck behind the camera, we are never going to be a part of those memories. It can be really difficult to find a balance between the two, so here are a few tips that can help you find that perfect balance of capturing those important moments, while also being present for them as well.
You do not need to photograph everything
We will get this one out of the way first because it is the hardest. We want to capture all these memories, but when does it become too much? The reality is you do not need to take a photo of your son every time he goes on the swing on the park, particularly if you go every week. Try to do it once a month, so you have a beautiful set of photos showing them growing up. Sometimes, pulling out the camera while they play is a fantastic opportunity for you to practice and play around, but it can also be really frustrating to have a camera shoved in your direction constantly.
Get In The Photograph
If you are the photographer of the family and let’s face it, it is usually the mom; the chances are you are the one missing from most of the photos. Occasionally, you may grudgingly pass the camera to someone else to capture you in a shot with your children, but you end up being so disappointed with the angle, or it is blurry, or you are super self-critical of your double chin/tummy/that bra strap that always seems to show itself just in time for a photo, that you never bother asking them again. First of all, you need to get that self-loathing and negative thoughts out of your mind. When you are long gone, your children will yearn to see pictures of their mom (or dad!) with their arms around them, smiling away at the camera. They will not notice that extra bit of weight or if your bra strap was showing. Get in those photos and be a part of your family!
If you simply do not trust the other person’s photo skills, set the camera up for them. If you are using DSLR, have the aperture and the focal point set, so all they need to do is literally press the button. You could also set up a tripod and timer – just make sure you plan the shot, so you have plenty of time to get into position before it clicks! These are just simple things that will help yield better results when passing the camera to someone else, but trust us when we say that when it comes to family photos, the important thing is that you are there, not that you are well composed and entirely in focus.
Make Use Of Auto On Your Camera
Photography is made up of two parts: creativity and technical skills, and it is entirely possible to take good photos with only one of those two parts. You can be a superb photographer without having any specialized skills, and you can be a good photographer with minimal creative capabilities, although it does help a lot. Do not be put off by snobbery around using the automatic setting on your camera. While it is never a bad thing to learn new skills and understand the various settings on your camera, there is nothing wrong with reverting the automatic settings. They are there to help you to take good photos without having to spend ages fiddling. If trying to shoot in full manual means that you spend all of your son’ss soccer game (or birthday party) behind the camera trying to figure out appropriate settings rather than participating in the event itself, that sucks.
Stage The Photos
This depends on the event but take a birthday party, for example. There is absolutely no reason why the birthday boy or girl can’t pose in their birthday outfit and blow the candles out on the cake before – or after – the event to make sure that you get that perfect shot without the stress. When it comes to their party, you can put the camera down, and you can both enjoy the moment as it happens, rather than behind a camera.
What are your top tips for capturing the perfect moment while being IN the perfect moment? Let us know below!
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