DIY Network

Family Portraiture: Selecting the Right Location From "The Whole Picture" episode DTWP-107

	Family snapshots are fine, but a family portrait should go beyond the ordinary.
	Capture the subjects so that they don't look staged, "stiff" or bored.

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Family portraits are something that family members can enjoy, and a good one is something that may be treasured for generations. But getting the perfect family portrait no longer necessarily means hiring a professional or going to a photographer's studio. It's possible to get professional looking family portraits using your digital camera and a few accessories.

The Whole Picture host Erin Manning offers advice and techniques on location, lighting and composition to take a family portrait that is both personal and professional-looking. She also shows how to email digital shots to share them with other family members and friends. Lesson #1 is selecting a location that offers the most suitable setting for your portrait.

Materials used in this episode:

Digital camera with the self-timer function
Camera owner's manual
Tripod
Clip lights
Reflector boards

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You might try capturing a family in the midst of some fun moment or activity.

Family snapshots with family members posed and smiling are fine, but for a family portrait you may want to go a step further. A good family portrait is attractively lit, well composed captures the subjects in a comfortable setting and in a manner where they don't look staged, "stiff" or bored.

The key to getting natural-looking shots is selecting a location in which your subjects feel at home and comfortable, and fostering a relaxed atmosphere while shooting.

Selecting a Location

When selecting a location, bring your camera along as you go from room to room and look at the scene through the LCD so you get a better idea of what the area will look like in the picture (figure A).

One thing to consider is the objects around the scene. One mark of amateur photography are shots where something in the background interferes with the visual composition--such as a shadow, tree-limb or other object appearing as if it's "growing" out of the head of one of the people in the picture. Again, use the LCD to avoid these pitfalls (figure B).

Figure A

Figure B

Take the time to choose your location carefully. You want to find a place that reflects your family's personality and lifestyle so that they look at home and relaxed in your portrait.

Also, look out for ends of walls or other vertical lines that might make your picture feel more chopped up or closed in. Finally, make sure there's plenty of room so that your family doesn't look cramped and uncomfortable.

Before making your final location decision, check out the lighting. Natural light in the scene will help make your home look warm and inviting and help eliminate the need for a flash. That light coming through a window treatment can further help highlight your family's taste and lifestyle. Whatever room you choose, the most important factor is that the room be the background for your family portrait and that your family is not the background for the room.

Erin's next lesson in family-portrait photography: lighting your subjects.