Taking Family Photos Yourself: Where To Start

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Taking Family Pictures Yourself: Where to Begin

You want those perfect memories of each birthday, family photos and photos of the holidays but hiring a photographer can be expensive. It also can be hard to coordinate schedules. During the holidays, families can feel rushed as many photographers are packed with celebrating families to photograph.

You have decided to take a leap and learn a new skill. Taking family pictures yourself is not only rewarding but a cost saving endeavor. You will learn a new and wonderful skill, you will capture your families photos the way you want to and you don’t have to rush! You can relax and get that perfect shot. If the kids are not feeling it. No worries, you can get it later rather than trying to reschedule with a photographer.

The world of photography can feel very overwhelming not because there is not enough information but because there is too much information!

Learn how to start getting ready to taking those perfect family pictures yourself without a ton of money in investment and hiring your own lighting crew to go around. We have broken down the basics for you so its simple and easy while you become the coveted family photographer.

Get a Good Camera

Taking family pictures yourself and wanting great results means investing in a camera. Cameras can be so expensive and it’s overwhelming to choose one.

You are going to want to have a good camera that is going to last a long time, take great pictures and be a camera you can rely on for taking family pictures yourself. A decent starter camera can be $350 but we found a great Canon PowerShot SX530 HS Digital Camera with 50x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom with 3-Inch LCD HD 1080p Video (Black)+ Extra Battery + 24GB Class 10 Card Complete Deluxe Accessory Bundle And Much More for less than $300.

Take some Free Photography courses online

You may need some classes to help you become a better photographer. Classes may be available in your city or town or you can hire a photographer to give you some tips. However, at The Baby Spot we are always looking for ways for families to learn a lot but also to save their money. We found a great free basics training course on how to use your camera.

We also found this really neat Flattering Family Portraits Course to make your subject whether they are young or young at heart, really stand out.

From these courses, you can find other ones online or go to paid courses to really focus on a niche if you like. Use Pinterest for inspiration for styles of photography and background settings. With your new knowledge of how your camera works, you can make it happen!

Practice, Practice Practice

Now that you have taken your free classes online, you get to practice! What kind of family photos do you want to take? Do you see yourself taking photos inside, outside or both? Practice with different lighting and know the lighting in your house well. The right light can make your subjects look their best and you can really capture the essence of your photograph.

We started practicing against boring white backgrounds and really starting to focus on a subject. Before people, we would photograph our tea cups to see if we can capture the intricate designs! Then came the kids and the spouse. Whatever way you wish, keep practicing, as you will get better the more you try!

If you find yourself really enjoying photography and this is becoming more than just a hobby, you can purchase lighting for your photography that can really enhance your photos. We find that many people who start taking family photos find it a passion and move forward with this craft.

Learn Basic Camera Tips

Before you start taking the classes, check out these basic camera tips. Learn more about tones, focus, blurs and so much more. Once you get used to common words and phrases used in photography, you will feel more comfortable in front of the lens.