Table of Contents
3 Tips for Taking your Own Family Photos
Here are 3 tips for taking your own family photos. Every year I like to take family portraits of my own, and I love the flexibility of using my tripod and remote shutter release to do so. I use the same process for indoor studio photography with off camera flash as I do for outdoor natural light photos. The only difference is the flash, and my lens focal length. For this article, I am writing about the method I’ve been using for years with my Canon 5D Mark IV, though I’m sure you can apply this concept to your DSLR or Mirrorless camera.
What will you need for taking your own family photos? 1. A tripod with a flexible mount. 2. Some basic DSLR or mirrorless camera knowledge to adjust the focal length, focus, and switch the lens to manual mode. 3. A remote shutter release to click the shutter while you are posing with your family.
These 3 tips are helpful for taking formal family portraits, outdoor lifestyle portraits, or travel portraits in front of any special place that you visit. I will also make some recommendations for the type of tripod to use based on the situation. At home or for local locations, I use a heavy duty Manfrotto tripod. For travel or any locations where I will be hiking or walking a distance I use a Peak Design carbon fiber tripod that can fit in my hiking backpack.
If you have knowledge of the exposure triangle, then you’ll have a better understanding of which camera settings to use for ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture. But even if you don’t, the tips in the post will still be beneficial. If you are a beginner and know how to use your camera in auto mode, you should be able to complete the basic steps to take your own family photos and still have them be in focus. Just make sure you read you camera manual for choosing focal points so that you can take your own family photos.
The exposure triangle, using manual mode, will allow you to control depth of field in your photos while still ensuring proper exposure. White balance is also important for beautiful photos, but not the focus of this article. For more on white balance, it is helpful to learn about color temperature, Kelvin.
Tip 1: Use a Tripod with a Flexible Mount
Taking your own family photos isn’t too difficult if you have some basic camera knowledge. A sturdy tripod is needed to hold a heavy camera and lens. Adjustable legs will be helpful for uneven outdoor surfaces. If your tripod has a flexible mount, the ability to adjust the camera frame is so much easier once the tripod leg position has been set. If you see a horizon in your background behind your subject or want to make the wall straight in the frame, a sturdy tripod that accepts a ball head mount saves you time.
Flexible Ball Head Tripod
A ball head tripod will allow you to independently move your camera around with micro-adjustments in any which direction. This feature is so helpful for straightening your subjects with the background in the frame. I have used different types of tripods, and the flexible ball head has worked the best for me outdoors or in my studio to take my own family photos. If you are purchasing a tripod, just make sure it can hold the weight of your camera and lens.
Even if you already have a different type of tripod, as long as you can adjust the camera so that your subject is positioned correctly in the frame, then that works too. If you are purchasing the gear that I have, please note that the tripod link above connects to the ball head mount. But you can also buy other mounts that attach to your camera.
Lightweight Travel Tripod
Travel photography for me is finding a balance of bringing the right equipment but also taking weight into consideration. I love my Peak Design Carbon Fiber tripod. I needed something very lightweight that could be carried during a long hike. While this doesn’t have the ball head mount that my home tripod has, the ability to easily adjust the lightweight legs makes up for it. There is some flex with the camera mount as well. It folds up quickly and easily and is the only tripod I’ve owned that I would even consider carrying during a hike, since it is so lightweight and compact.
I hang my hiking backpack from the hook of my travel tripod, as a counterweight in case a breeze comes by. I know the extra weight makes the tripod more sturdy outdoors. I can take my own family photos and not have to rely on handing my professional camera to stranger. During my travels, the few times a kind person offered to take a photo of my family using my camera, the photos were always out of focus.
By using a tripod, I know that I will achieve that beautiful family portrait in focus. I love having the option to adjust all camera settings and take the photo that I envision.
Tip 2: Adjust Focal Length and Focus
Lens Focal Length
If your location allows for some distance between you and the camera, then use a longer focal length, such as an 85mm lens. This is my favorite lens that I use for my family photography business during outdoor sessions. The compression and bokeh is fantastic, and I can still be close enough to my clients that they can hear me provide direction without needing to yell. A 50mm focal length would work as well.
For family portraits, I wouldn’t go much lower than 50mm unless the goal is to capture more background where the subject is smaller in the frame. A 35mm focal length is great for landscape portraits, but when the people in the photo are all the way to the sides of the frame, there will be some distortion. So I recommend only using 35mm or lower if your subject is more centered in the frame and the edges are just filled with the background.
While in Yellowstone at Artist’s Point, I didn’t have too much room to back up with the tripod for a family portrait. Our family portrait was composed of us sitting on a rock in front of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. In this case, I was using my 24-70mm zoom lens and set the focal length to 50mm. If I could back up the tripod even more, I would have chosen 70mm. I also used this zoom lens for this tripod self-portrait in Yellowstone near the Upper Falls.
When I travel I bring a few lenses, not all, and generally use the 24-70mm the most to avoid changing out the lenses frequently. On a side note, I also like to bring my 100mm lens for macro photography of flowers, plants, and close-up details. Conversely, it works great for photographing subjects further in the distance. For example, in Grand Teton National Park last summer, I used my 100mm lens to photograph a moose in the distance near Schwabacher Landing. A much longer lens would be more ideal, however, I prefer lighter lenses to keep my hiking backpack manageable. I am not carrying my photography equipment for wildlife photography, but rather landscape and family portraits.
Focus on the Eye Closest to the Camera
Position everyone in place and plan where you will be standing in the group photo once you finish the camera set-up. Focus the camera focal point on the eye of one of your family members. I usually aim for the eye closest to the center of the frame, unless there are 2 layers of people, in which case I focus on the eye of the person closest to the camera. This is where aperture comes into play. If using a wide aperture, (which is a lower number), it is best to have all subjects on the same focal plane. This would mean they are standing in one straight line, rather than 2 or more rows.
There is one beneficial exception to the aforementioned suggestion about having all subjects on the same focal plane for taking a photos with a wide aperture. And that is, if your camera is at a much farther distance from the subject, meaning you can back up several more feet to take the photo, more of your subject will be in focus even with a wider aperture. For more on this topic, research depth of field.
Focus in Auto-focus Mode and Switch the Lens to Manual Focus
After you auto-focus on the eye of the person front and center, then adjust your lens to manual focus. This will keep the focus where you set it. Now that your camera is set, you can walk over to your group and position yourself. Point your remote shutter release at the camera and press the button. If you have a 2 second delay, you will move your arm back down and hide the remote in your hand before the shutter clicks.
Tip 3: Use a Remote Shutter Release
Instead of having to set a 10 second timer over and over again on your camera, while running back and forth each time, use a remote shutter release. You can set your timer to 2 seconds and press the button in your hand aimed at the camera, and move your hand down for the photo. Before I walk away from my camera, I like to aim the remote at the sensor on the front of the camera and press the remote button. That way I know the remote battery is working, the camera is set to the correct time delay, and that the sensor on the camera is receiving the signal.
As of this writing, I have just set the shutter release to one photo at a time, so I click the button several times in a row. After about 10 photos, I will go back to check my camera and see if I got the image I wanted. Your camera might allow you to set it so it takes several photos in a row, with one click. Follow your own camera manual to connect your remote shutter release. And please make sure you have new batteries ready to go before your photo session, along with some back-up batteries just in case.
3 Tips for Taking Your Own Family Photos
These 3 tips for taking your own family photos should be helpful for you in any environment. Light is really the most important aspect of photography, so making sure you have ample natural light or off camera flash is key. When light is lacking when your camera is set to your desired aperture, then raise the ISO. If you are reading this article to help you prepare for taking family photos during your vacations, then you may find this post on organizing your travel photos helpful.
And remember, we often think of a family portrait as one where we are all looking and smiling at the camera. Sure, we like that. But it is also fun and creative to take candid photos, just like I do with my family photography clients. I just love the connection and the feelings expressed between family members in photos where they are interacting with each other. So don’t forget to do that too! I like to have pictures of me smiling at my children. When I travel, I like family photos with our backs to the camera, while we are looking at the ocean or a waterfall.
Be creative when taking your own family photos. I bet some of your favorite photos will be of you holding your child and connecting with them. The family portrait will take you back to that moment again and again. Whenever you look at that special photo, you will remember how you felt at that moment. And that is magical.
If you are in the Howard County, Maryland area and want the full experience of family portraits, so you don’t have to do it yourself, then reach out. I photograph outdoor family portraits April-October.
I am not affiliated with any of the companies or products recommended in this post. I am just providing examples of what tripods I use, that work well for taking your own family photos.
