But then I met Zach’s mom, Laura. Her reply? Well, of course you
can! I’d like to introduce you to Laura,
an awesome mom and someone who taught me to relax in the moment of trying to
get that ‘typical’ family portrait.
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Photo Credit - Trace Melody |
The gratitude for not only beautiful portraits, but also for a
fun experience is what pours out of these families. I love giving that experience to people. Giving them a visual representation of not
just what their family looks like, but WHO they are together. Their connection and how they interact with
one another. Capturing their children’s
reactions to their Daddy’s funny story-telling voice. It’s the art of the family I always strive to
capture. And it’s not always easy. Those amazing smiles usually come after some
protest and maybe a few tears. But I
keep my patience with a few simple tricks that you can use if you’re going try
and take a holiday portrait yourself!
- Get outside!
Kids are naturally more relaxed outdoors. The light is gorgeous outside and you’re
almost guaranteed a few keepers if you shoot outside. Preferably right around the 3pm mark.
- Put their back to the sun! People have this common misconception that
they need to light up their kids’ faces by having them face the sun. Not true.
Put their back to the sun and you’ll have some gorgeous results.
- Turn
off your flash! Especially when shooting
outside. Flash is unflattering and gets
rid of some very interesting shadows on the face. Shadows show depth and make a portrait more
dimensional. Turn off flash. You’ll love the results.
- Take
the pressure off. Try to steer clear of
phrases like, “Ok! Let’s go take a
picture now!! Everyone look at me and
smile!! If you don’t smile no candy!!” These phrases put pressure on the kids and
will almost always produce less-than-desirable results. Instead, try taking your children to a park
or an unfamiliar field. When your kids
are involved in exploring, get low on their level and talk to them. Talk to them about their favorite character
from Sophia: The First, or Handy Manny.
Have your camera ready and when they glance up at you, press the
shutter. Their face will be natural and
relaxed. Even more so if you get them to
laugh at you singing! A much better
smile will happen if it happens naturally rather than forcing it by saying
“Cheeeeeese”.
- If
you have sensory sensitive kiddos, be aware of their triggers and head them off
at the pass. If they don’t like grass,
bring a throw blanket to toss on the grass.
Or a low stool for them to sit on.
The problem I have when I try to photograph my own son (who has classic
Autism) is that he sees me every day.
I’m not interesting to him. So, I
have to make silly airplane noises and wave my hands in the air to get him to
notice me. But once he sees me and
thinks, “Hey, mommy is doing something pretty silly there”. That is when I’ve
got him. I can capture his laughs
in-between my silly acts.
And if all of this still intimidates you, you could always invest
in a professional to help you capture your families. Special needs families are personally a
favorite of mine to capture because I KNOW how I longed for someone to capture
our interactions as a family together. I
needed to freeze the period in time where my sensory-seeking child would press
his face into mine so hard, he’d shake.
And his infectious giggle when his daddy would make him fly up in the
air. Those moments for me are
priceless. And when I can take a family
who is convinced that we’ll never get a good shot of their child because
they’re fixated on the car door, that’s a challenge for me and I adore the parent’s
reactions when I show them the incredible results.
Laura Fiorillo is the owner of Family Tree Photography located in
Sandwich, MA. Contact familytreephotography@hotmail.com
I'd like to thank Laura and the parents who allowed us to share their photos to demonstrate how our children are just so beautiful. While we never got that formal family photo, our pictures are unique just like our family. I cannot thank Laura enough for prompting me to do the photo shoot. Remember I once explained how Boo does the full body hug? The one that just pours out her love and enjoyment? Laura captured that moment which is so more spectacular than a staged formal shot.
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I'd like to thank Laura and the parents who allowed us to share their photos to demonstrate how our children are just so beautiful. While we never got that formal family photo, our pictures are unique just like our family. I cannot thank Laura enough for prompting me to do the photo shoot. Remember I once explained how Boo does the full body hug? The one that just pours out her love and enjoyment? Laura captured that moment which is so more spectacular than a staged formal shot.
OMG, I LOVE that picture of you and Boo in the full body hug!!!! So utterly precious! Great ideas too on the outside shooting!
ReplyDeletebeautiful photos! Laura, you are amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this......great tips! LOVE that pic of you and Boo--beyond precious!
ReplyDeleteI'm in awe of the full-bodied Boo hug photo. I want one. Tucker does the same thing and nobody's ever even thought to capture it on film. Does Laura know anybody in the DC area??? Because ugh. I'm sad now as I want one of those too!!! So much. Tucker sees the camera and mugs. Not in a cute way (he has maybe-probably-autism too - he's 4). Thanks, Kerri. XOXO
ReplyDeleteThat photo needs to be everywhere.
As a former photographer, I have to completely agree with Laura. People go in saying they want a formal portrait, but when they see the fun, real photos, those photos become the favorites. I had one family send out a Christmas card with the two older kids smiling and the baby crying her full head off instead of the one where all the kids were smiling. The crying was much more the story of their life at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThose photos of you and Boo are fantastic. I hope you are getting a great big print of if to put on your wall.
What an absolutely gorgeous picture! That's real love right there and I've never seen a photo that captures it better.
ReplyDelete