There are so many ways to photograph families these days, that I don't feel qualified to tell you how to do it. So many photographers have their own styles and when it comes to style there is no right or wrong way. However I have picked up a few ground rules that you may find helpful. A family photograph used to be a still picture of everyone neatly sitting down dressed in their best outfit. Today a family picture is all about catching a beautiful moment. The photograph has to have a certain sense of dynamics and flow. You still have to make sure the group  works well compositionally. If you are working outside or in a studio and the family is to be positioned in a certain spot, it is really important that you spend quite a long time just making sure that the group looks good as a unit. Many people get nervous of letting people wait to have their picture taken and start taking them before a good group has been composed. This is where you as a photographer should not feel rushed , but explain that you will spend some time arranging and rearranging everyone until the group looks pleasing to the eye. With young children there is often no time to arrange anything, one just has to grab the moment, so this rule does not always work out. Still - to think in terms of the composition first , followed by expression- unless you see in front of you the ideal shot where no rules apply. Here are a few do's and dont's. Don't let the children look bigger than their parents. If Mum is bigger than Dad, hide the Mum slightly to let the Dad look like his own man, not dwarfed by the wife. Look at your group and decide how you can best flatter them.  Absolutely make sure that the mum has her prettiest side to the camera, she is usually the fussiest one! Although the family is a about flow and the moment, everybody will be looking exclusively at themselves. For this reason I will advice that you take several shots of the same composition before moving on to another grouping. If you are professional you will know that people have very high expectations and in this digital age there is no excuse not to perform a little headswop in photoshop. How do you get that casual flowing feel in a group that has been composed ? This is my technique that I use in my small studio : Lets say I have a young family with two young children of 3 and 6 years old. Because they look like a relaxed and at ease family, we decide together that they are comfortable sitting on the floor. All people are completely different in terms of size and shape, so that every session I do is looked at with a fresh eye. I will spend some time arranging the parents making sure they both look good and equally important. The children may run around whilst this is happening. When they are in a good position, I  quickly arrange the children who have not been bored by the "arranging". Having created a nice casual group , I fire off quite a few pictures. I then play a small game where I make them to move apart slightly, just swaying away and then back together. This creates amusement, action and spontaneous expression. I show them with my hands, shouting out "apart" and then "together". You have to be very careful not to let them move apart too much as it will ruin the shot and people may clash together too fiercely. Just make them move apart and together in small delicate movement . My  families are usually amused by this and it breaks the ice where people have been a bit self conscious. Great care must be taken not to ruin the shape or that faces get hidden, in other words- be really attentive playing this game. Then….. I let the fun begin and ask the family group to create another group shape. if they like this and get into it, you will find that they compose themselves in to groups on the floor which identifies with their personalities. It becomes "their" way rather than "your" way. You still have to keep an eagle eye and ask yourself, is this a good composition? If it is not, you just take a couple and then shout out : and "change again". Keep doing it , mixed in with "apart -and together". During a shoot, I find myself talking the whole time. I talk about nothing really, just conveying enthusiasm which really flows in to the people I photograph and it relaxes people. It 's ususally about the shoot, how about this, no not like that- lets try this- fantastic etc…... People loose their fear in this way and start opening up, being themselves. The session will come to a natural end , you will feel when everyone has had enough. You will have a variety of images to choose from.The beauty of starting with the arranged group at the beginning, is that you can be sure of a good shot- if the casual one don't quite work out. Have fun

The key to successful to outdoor portraits is understanding the light. Most people think that you will get brilliant results when the sun is out. Wrong! The fact is the midday sun casts ugly black shadows all over the face. Notice the lack of detail in the eyes. It is a hard and unforgiving light. Example: If you do have  to capture portraits on a sunny day, head for the shade of a large building or similar, where you can find a bright and shady spot where the light is even. A good place will be at the edge where the light  meets the shadow. Look for a light and even shady area with a bright quality to it. Place you subject in a spot where the eyes look the clearest and with the most reflection. A cloudy or overcast day is the easiest light to create a portrait. Example: The portrait below was taken around 7 pm in the evening . At this time the sun is low on the horizon. I positioned the person with her head in front of the evening sun to create a rim lighting around the head. Example: Another way to get around the sun effect is to use your flash to blast away some of the shadows. This is used to great effect by many professional photographers and  called “fill in flash”, but it does have a bright slightly unnatural look. Example : The most gorgeous results  from sunshine portraits is to catch the golden light in the first two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset. At this time  the sun is low on the horizon casting a beautiful golden light over he subject minus  the harsh shadow that you get during the day. Many fashion photographers and film crews  on location will start filming at this time. Example : Project : See how many different kinds of lighting you can document over the next few weeks .

Most people find one side of their face photographs better than the other. Before starting to photograph a person ask them to look first to the left then to the right and straight ahead.   Decide upon which side is the most flattering. If you are unsure, just ask them to repeat the exercise again until you really can see which angle suits them the best. They will thank you for it! Some people look best just looking straight at you rather than at an angle.   You can also shoot three pictures of different sides and ask the person to which angle they prefer to be photographed. This is can be a good icebreaker .   If a double chin looks like a problem, stand on a stool and look downwards to minimise the chin. Also asking the person to place their hand naturally under their chin will  have a slimming effect.   Wide faces, long noses, crooked noses, these are all small details that you need to be aware of and take into considerations when you choose the best angle for your subject.   Half the work is getting them to show you all their different sides, with a laugh and a smile.   If people have one eye smaller than the other, have the smallest eye nearest to the lens. The other way around and you will just accentuate the unevenness.   The more you train your eye to see, the more awareness you will develop.   Everybody wants to look their best in front of the camera, so spend a little extra time observing before you really start shooting.

Taking a good portrait of a person is about them looking their best. Facial expression and emotion goes hand in hand For some of us, reading expressions and knowing how someone feels is an intuitive skill. For others it is not a natural habit, but with careful observation can be easily learned. All you have to do is to be interested in people watching- and your seeing will develop. All people have a light within themselves. People literally “light up” when they smile. Absolutely everybody, regardless of facial features and age becomes beautiful when this light radiates through their eyes. This light is not only present in a smile, it is also present in a semi serious expressions. A person can give smiley impressions also with a serious face, because their light is engaged. It is as simple as that. All you have to do is to observe the degree of light present in people and notice how it makes them beautiful. Sadly many people look and smile sad and empty smiles without much light. It is therefore up to you as the photographer to make their light appear. Their mood will be a reflection of your own mood, so your own input in being relaxed and upbeat is of crucial importance. Project : Choose a person to practice on and see how many types of expressions You can create in that one person. Line the pictures up in a row and decide which ones you like best and why. Notice if the person is projecting a look to you or whether it is totally natural. Notice their eyes – are they dead or alive? A smile has many versions and. Often it is not the most obvious cheesy smile that is the most interesting. Keep three of your favorite pictures and then repeat the experience with somebody else. Is there a similarity between the two sets of pictures? Here is my own experiment. There are two portraits with smile eyes and one without.   Next Tutorial : Part 2 : Choosing the best angle

Would you like to learn to become a better Photographer ?I don't mean how to use your camera as you have your technical manual for that.I mean learning how to become a better photographer by improving the way you see your world through the lens.Through this blog I will help  you to take better pictures of your family and give you tips and ideas for photographyprojects that you can embark upon for fun :-)I will be teaching you from a highly personal perspective- all about how I observe the  people I photograph.You will learn to take pictures  with your heart and mind and naturally train your eyes to see .However , the most important thing  is to really familiarize yourself with the technicality of your camerain order not to struggle when you see a photo opportunity. Make this your absolute first priority!Ask people more technical than you to help you.Every now and then I shall start by giving you ideas for projects to do .For now I will end on this note for now- giving you time to practice getting to know your camera.Next time : Part 1 Observing expressions