Family Photographs are always fun, because it challenges you to work with different elements of people. Children aren’t always the easiest to work with, and it makes you feel very victorious when you get smaller children on your side, and some authentic smiles from them.
I try and advise my clients to see if it’s possible to do their shoot outside, where we have the environment to work with, and lovely trees, grass or leaves in the foreground- and background to work with.
People get to relax, and it then becomes literally like a walk in the park. Children can run around, and the whole set of images have the colours of nature added as well. Families have a way of evolving, children get bigger, couples grow together, and family photos’ role it plays, can never actually be priced right, as it means so much to mothers and fathers to have photos of their precious children.
There are still many parks in Johannesburg that can be used to have shoots in that are safe and have such great areas to use. My style is usually not too “posed” when it comes to family photoshoots… I would much rather want the family to have fun, and children squealing of laughter than have everyone be uncomfortable so we try and do tickles and jokes and those incidental moments in between is what I try and catch.
Towards the end of each day, there is a softer light which casts longer and less contrasty shadows than what midday does, and this family chose to do their Family Photographs when the light was softer in the afternoon, and the sun sat lower coming through the trees in beautiful long strokes. All of the shade provided some dispersed light, and it made for a beautiful colour all around which wrapped around everyone.