by Sarah O’Connor, Contributing Editor

As photographers we are always behind the camera, rarely in front of it.  The whole reason most of us began our photography journey was to document our children’s lives.  Well, as moms we are kind of a big part of their lives, so here are some tips to hopefully get you in front of your camera and capture some amazing and fun pictures of your family to cherish forever.

Location
For this example I am using a recent trip that our family took to White Sands National Park in New Mexico.  What an amazing place with huge hills of white sand, nope it’s not snow!  The perfect spot for family photos.  If this is your first try at a family self portrait choose a non-busy location.  Preferably somewhere that there is nothing to distract the kids like a playground that they will just want to run off too.

Posing
Preplan your initial poses.  Have them in your head and show your husband a picture of the pose if possible so that he knows exactly what to do as well. That way the only wild cards will be the kids and you get what you can with them.  You’re not looking for perfection, so relax and let them pose how they want as it’s more natural that way.  I like the family holding hands pose since it has the kids doing something with their hands rather than covering their face or picking their nose with them:)

Equipment You Will Need
1. Wireless Remote control
2. Tripod- a good one that will hold your camera and your lens. Check the weight limit when purchasing one. Do not get a cheap one or your camera will move all over the place.
3. Candy – I have my husband keep smarties candy in his pocket and slip one to the kids whenever they start to get bored which is like a minute into the session.

Canon RC-6 Wireless Remote

Manfrotto 322RC2 Tripod Head

Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod Body

Camera Focusing
1. Set your camera timer to 2 second delay (under the AF-Drive button on most Canons)
2. Have your husband stand where you want the family to be and then focus on him. Make sure he doesn’t move since he is your focus spot.
3. Cover your viewfinder with the eyepiece cover if there is a bright light coming into the back of the camera that might mess up your meter reading.
4. Wrangle up the kids and go over next to the hubby. Start with your first pose and go from there.
5. Aim the remote control at the camera and you have 2 seconds for the click. Then every 2 minutes or so run back to the camera and check your images. Make sure they are in focus and looking the way you want. Change your settings if desired to get different looks. Zoom in or out for a mix of photos as well.

Give your Husband a crash course in photography
When you are done with the family shots hand the camera to your husband and let him play photographer for a bit so that you can get some good stuff of you and the kids. As long as you set the camera to the settings that you want and explain to him what you are looking for he should be able to do a pretty decent job. I leave the camera on the center focal point and tell him to keep the focus on me and then just keep clicking.

Finally finish the shoot up with letting the kids play and capturing them just being silly.  This should give you a nice well rounded gallery for your home.

Keep the session short. No more than 20 minutes and make it as fun as possible so that everyone is not only willing to, but excited to do another session in the future.

What lens I used
I prefer using my 24-70mm lens for the family self portrait because it is so versatile. Since I am in the photos there is not tons of time to be switching on and off my different lenses. It is more for convenience than lens preference. When shooting my family I know I am going to want to create a canvas wall of many different photos so this lens lets me create the most diversity in the shortest amount of time.

Don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t work out the way that you planned in your head. If you end up in a bad mood threatening with time-outs if the kids don’t behave then they likely will not want to ever try again. Set them up for positive pictures. Tell the kids we are doing a fun photoshoot and we are going to laugh and have fun and eat candy together. I found that if you slip them the candy in small pieces during the session instead of promising something when the session is done they will be happier during the actual session.  Good luck and have fun!

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ABOUT SARAH:

 Sarah O’Connor is a creative portrait photographer in the Kansas City area and works mainly with families, newborns & children on location and in her home studio.  She lives in Lenexa with her husband, two little boys and a very fluffy Old English Sheepdog.

website I facebook

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In this 90 minute live web event, you will learn about:

• Styling families… how the imperfect becomes perfect.
• How to use guides & Pinterest to visually guide your clients.
• How to style families, but not change who they are.
• Advice on making things look styled but not matchy matchy.

WHEN: Monday, February 11th 2012 @ 8 pm Central (6 Pacific, 7 Mountain, 9 Eastern)

If you can’t attend the live event, a video recording will be sent (48 hrs afterward) to all those who paid

COST: $39 for Chic Members, $59 for non-members. Attendees are limited so reserve your spot now! 

$39 for Chic Members:
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE (must join forum first to get the member price)

$59 for non-members:

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By Nicole Klingler and Chantri Keele of True Atelier, Teaching Tuesday Contributors

If  you are a professional photographer it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day work of emails, ordering, invoicing, editing and designing. Then there’s packaging, delivering, social networking and blogging as well. How often do you return home from a shoot, pull the card out of your camera and set it on your desk- all while saying the same silent prayer over and over that nothing happens to it? Or are you the type who (instead of laying it down) puts it directly into your card reader, starts downloading the images, waiting on pins and needles to edit a few for your client? Unfortunately, we aren’t always this excited! Not only that but does your camera come out of the bag between shoots? If you answered no then you aren’t alone. It’s the burnout, the winter blues, in a funk, stuck in a rut… whatever you want to call it! To beat it… it’s time to put MEANING back into your art form!

As our busy fall/winter season drew to a close atTrue Atelier, we talked of our goals for the new year. We had just wrapped up our last magazine shoot for 2012 and were anxious for some time off. Though the shoot was amazing, we didn’t have any desire to dive right into editing the files. It was shortly after we started our conversation that we realized we had both expressed the same goals! We wanted to spend more quality time with our kids, and work on the delicate balance of life. To keep tidier homes and actually have meaningful moments with our children. We expressed our desires to take more pictures of our kids as well as write about them and our day to day experiences on our blog. Our goals for 2013 were the same, and at that point the steps to successfully achieving them easily came about.

1. We must purposely seek out everyday moments with our family that can be captured meaningful in our downtime

• we can make a list of moments to consider documenting such as; a beautiful morning, our daily routine, a lovely meal, our child playing in the nursery, the cat in front of a dreamily lit window, reading time, a quiet moment with our partner or spouse, a piece of art, a miracle of nature, or a moment of perfect happiness
• getting used to documenting these types of things will have us looking for and creating moments and scenarios to experience with our children and loved ones that can become lasting and meaningful memories
• this helps us in our personal and family relationships, aiding us in achieving balance
• learning to find meaningful image opportunities in these everyday circumstances helps us to be better at creating and capturing real and meaningful moments with our CLIENTS in our professional settings

2. Actually being IN the images, rather than just behind the camera, will make these captured moments all the more meaningful to us as well as our family members

• be a part of at least ONE meaningful image a week by being in FRONT of the camera, instead of behind it
• we do this by using a remote trigger/ transmitter system and set our camera’s focus mode to an automatic setting that will find the main focus according to the camera’s computer (more on this to come!!!)

3. Create a schedule for sharing, insta-gramming, and blogging your images

• when we create a schedule for this, as well as an ongoing list of what will be documented next, we don’t lose momentum and we have a sense of accountability
• our families will have a consistent documentation of our lives and precious moments
• our clients that follow our blog and other social media platforms get to know us better as people, not just photographers (photographers are people too:-)

We have found that by implementing these steps, we are able to find joy in our work, even during the stressful and busy times. We are remembering and focusing on the reasons many of us picked up a camera in the first place…. to document our lives and families. We are more successfully achieving a balance between work and family, and creating a lasting legacy for our children. Remember that on our deathbeds, we are never going to regret that we didn’t work more, or spend more time at the office or on the computer, but we will regret the fleeting moments and memories that weren’t created, savored, and captured for years to come. Give some of these tips a try and we promise that meaning and balance will be a greater part of your life and business.

Note: most sample images in this post were edited with True Atelier’s LAVENDER AND LEMONS photoshop action, available for FREE DOWNLOAD in the “Lavender and Lemons: Reflection on Expecting” blog post on the True Atelier blog! Don’t miss out, download yours here!!!!!

~

Nicole Klingler and Chantri Keele are Idaho based, national wedding and portrait photographers with an affinity for all things styled and editorial. Their work has been featured on popular photography resources like SENIOROLOGIE and LEMONADE & LENSES, as well as in print in CHIC MAGAZINE, the IDAHO WEDDING GUIDE, and IDAHO WEDDINGS magazine. Nicole and Chantri love sharing what they have learned with other photographers in the industry through blogging and classes. Check them out at www.blog.trueatelier.com , through their other social media platforms found above, or visit them at their studio in the historic downtown of Idaho Falls.

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Brittney, what camera do you use and what is your favorite lens?
Nikon D700 and my fav lens is the 85mm 1.4!

What has been the most helpful critique you ever got on an image?
Don’t tilt the camera! I know it feels “artsy,” but if done too much, it can look like people are falling out of the photograph! You don’t want a child to look like they’re ready to tumble down a hill, do ya?!

What 3 words would you use to describe your style?
colorful, fresh, fun

Where do you pull your inspiration from?
I love looking through magazines to see what hot colors are in for that season, then look for great outdoor locations to compliment the colors in the outfit!

What is one specific way that you balance work and family?
Set shooting days and office hours! I have office hours Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am – 1pm. This is my time to do e-mail, edit, meet with clients, return photo calls, and take care of business matters. I hold photo shoots on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings (2 hours before sunset). This ensures I balance my family time AND always have weekends off!

Best biz/photo advice?
Work with what you’ve got! I shot for the fist two years of my business with a Canon Rebel and 50mm 1.8. If you know how to work your equipment in the right way, you can still take some killer shots without having to fork out all the money for top-grade equipment all at once!

What have you learned the hard way?
Don’t make exceptions on your prices. For better or worse, your prices are what they are. The second you start tweaking a pacakge price for someone, or trying to give another person a good deal, or throwing in an extra 11×14 … the word spreads like wildfire. Then before long, you can’t figure out who you gave what discount too or what price they had last time. Post your prices in ONE spot and leave them alone. They are what they are. You’re not a flea market with a “willing to barter” sign hanging off your camera! You wouldn’t try and negotiate with Target on the price of their toothpaste would you? So don’t let people try and negotiate with you!

How does your business deal with the rise in photographers. What have you done to standout and compete?
In any kind of market there are tens, if not hundreds, of others doing what you do. The Tri-Cities community is home to a fast-growing number of photographers and the key to setting yourself apart in the market is having a unique style and value offering. The secret to developing a sought after style is to give yourself the time to create the perfect fit for you and your target market. I now offer mentoring to photographers across the country AND have been partnering with great photography organizations, like Seniorologie, on cool projects that set me apart from the rest!

Where have most of your 2012 clients come from (besides WOM)?
Facebook, baby!!

What has been the best workshop or convention you’ve attended so far?
WPPI in Las Vegas

What is your most popular product?
My gallery wrapped canvas

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Do you post on your blog only to hear crickets? Do you sometimes feel like you are talking to yourself (and maybe your Mom) on your blog? Do you need some LOVE?

Chic Critique is here for you, girl. In 2013, we are doing a weekly feature on our blog every Saturday called “BLOG LOVE” where you can showcase your  blog posts on Chic Critique for lots of love.

SWEET BENEFITS:

• Use this as motivation to blog at least once a week
• Boost your SEO: your thumbnail will link back to your own blog for lots of publicity and SEO lovin’!
• Get blog comments from our fans
• Show off your work
• Get published! One of your images might be featured in an upcoming issue of Chic Magazine

It’s so easy! HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

You must be a member of Chic Critique forum to participate 

1. Post some pics on your own blog with a link back to Chic Critique
2. Every weekend, submit your permalink (not your main blog address) from your own blog post to the frog icon (see sample below) to our weekly Saturday “Blog Love” blog post
3. Your image will then show up as a thumbnail on OUR blog and allow our readers to click on your image to check out YOUR blog.

Need a reminder? We’ll help remind you in our weekly newsletter and on Facebook so be sure to become a fan and subscribe to our newsletter.

ENTER YOUR BLOG POST IMAGES FOR THIS WEEK BY CLICKING ON THE FROG BELOW:
Don’t forget to leave a comment on the other entries because that is half the fun! Also, submit your photo early since those seem to be the ones who receive the most comments.

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Congratulations to Brooke, Salome Photography, and Katannblue!  They win the FREE Facebook Pinterest tabs from FB Website Design!

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