How to get Beautiful Candid Family Photos
Today I wanted to talk about how to get those beautiful candid images during your session! As a Buffalo photographer, many of my clients’ favorite types of photos are the candid ones. The ones with families laughing together, kids having fun, mothers with their eyes closed loving on their child, fathers throwing their giggling child in the air.
I remember trying to get these moments at my earliest sessions and having a hard time with it! Families would look at me waiting for me to tell them what to do and I would be thinking “how on earth do I get my clients to look natural together to get those sweet candid moments?” How can I be a photographer that creates the family pictures that I have in my head? Well, it turns out the candid, in-between moments are not so candid after all! They are actually quite directed and the end results are photos of those beautiful in-between moments.
But how do we get those moments in front of the camera and more importantly, how do we get them to look natural? During your session, I will be directing you and prompting you, but there are a few things you can do that will help as well. Read on for 3 tips on how to get beautiful candid family photos!
What is a Candid Photo?
A candid photo is one where everyone isn’t looking at the camera and smiling. They are those photographs that capture the in-between moments, the real moments, the moments that make you feel something and remember what life was like at the time the photograph was taken. In my opinion, they are some of the best images because while photographs with everyone looking at the camera and smiling are beautiful, they don’t tell as much of a story as the candid, in-between moments do. Images that tell a story are a lot more powerful and can stand the test of time because they bring back the way you felt at a particular time in your life. Here are my top tips for how to get these images:
3 Tips for Getting those Candid Family Photos
1) Adults, Keep That Smile On: This is one of my biggest tips! As a parent of 3 young boys myself, I know it’s hard to not correct your child if they are not following directions. BUT! At your photo session, we want your kids to have fun. It’s the best way to get good photos. Kids can read their parents’ energy very easily and if you’re stressed about their behavior, they will pick up on it. My best advice for this is to just let your kids be themselves and you keep smiling. Full honesty here, there have been times that I will get an adorable photograph of a child, but the adult in the photo will be talking or have a less than flattering look on their face because they were telling the child to pay attention. Remember the goal here is good photos and kids look cute pretty much no matter what - the photos are much better if you are smiling at them lovingly. If your child is about to cause bodily harm to themselves or another living creature, by all means please jump in. Otherwise, I urge you to keep that smile on and enjoy watching your kids be kids - it truly does result in genuine and natural looking final images.
2) Don’t Look at the Camera Unless Asked: Look at the camera and say “cheese” right? It’s something we all know and do! But in order to get candid photos, don’t look at the camera! You can look at your kids, at your spouse, at your dog, close your eyes and breathe in your child, but don’t look at the camera. I absolutely will ask you to look at the camera throughout your session so we can get some photographs with everyone looking and smiling, but try your best to not look unless I tell you to.
3) Set the Expectation Ahead of Time: Let your entire family know ahead of time a little bit about what to expect during your family photo session. Tell your children that your family is going to have fun, explore, and be playful together while a photographer takes their photos. Let them know that we will be taking some photos while standing, sitting, and exploring. I find that preparing kids and even spouses ahead of time is very helpful so that everyone knows what to expect.
BONUS:
Let me know what your family and children love in your pre-session questionnaire! Before every session, I send out a questionnaire that asks for some information about your family and your likes and dislikes. It is very helpful during your session if I have a few things in the back of my head that I know your child loves or that your family enjoys that we can talk about! It really helps children feel comfortable and it helps me to make families comfortable as well. Being comfortable is a major part of getting beautiful final images.
I hope these tips help! I know that getting in front of the camera can feel awkward and unnatural. My goal is to make you feel comfortable and get those genuine and natural connected moments that you will love looking back on for years to come! If you would like to book a session, please CONTACT ME.
Not sure where to get your family photos done? Click HERE for my favorite summertime locations for family photos in Buffalo NY.
I am a photographer based in the Southtowns of the Buffalo NY area. I specialize in family, maternity, and newborn photography. If you are interested in a session with me, please CONTACT ME today!
View family photography session information HERE.
