Teddington-based photographer Anna McCarthy shares her trade secrets for capturing great family images
Camera ready
Whatever camera you have, treat it the same way you do your wallet or keys: by the front door and ready to grab whenever you go out. Always be ready for that next picture.
Read your manual!
It sounds obvious, but understanding your tool is empowering, and a thorough familiarity will give you confidence to concentrate on anticipating and composing. Try to have the manual to hand, perhaps on your phone.
Make it fun
You’ll not get very far with children (or adults for that matter) unless you make it fun. Let children take the lead and follow their play. Mix up your approach – engage with them, then stand back when they get absorbed in something themselves to capture them unaware.
Light and backgrounds
Most people think that the perfect time for taking outdoor photographs is a bright sunny day. Actually it’s very hard to shoot in these conditions so on days like these, go out early, or later when the sun is lower in the sky. Look for simple backgrounds; you want faces and emotions to shine through so the viewer’s eye is drawn to them.
Kill the flash
Most professional photographers use flash as little as possible, especially at a family event. Firstly it is the most obvious way you can flag up to people that you are photographing. Secondly, blasting flash at your subject will create unflattering results. If you are outside, it is often best to stick with natural light.
Colour or black and white?
There are many fans of black and white photography and those who advocate sticking purely to it. I believe there is a place for both. My advice is this: when shooting, look for the moment/light and composition first, but try to train your eye to look out for colour harmonies too, for example between your child’s hair or eyes and what is around you in nature.
Mix up your viewpoints
Many cameras have zoom lenses, which can sometimes give you too much choice when composing your shots and you may miss the moment altogether. Try to use your own lens (your eyes) to mix up your viewpoints. Remember that interesting images can come from incorporating foreground and background elements, getting down low (younger children) or high, or using elements around you to frame your pictures.
Capture relationships
As well as having lots of individual portraits of your children as they grow, it is great to capture relationships between siblings, parents and grandparents. Don’t forget to look out for spontaneous moments; these are often the most emotional and most cherished pictures.
Do your own thing
If you’re going to a special event where there is a professional photographer, try to stay out of their way and do something different of your own. Try to capture moments that the bride and groom or photographer might miss. If you take pictures of groups, carry on shooting after everyone thinks you have finished; you often get the best images that way.
Edit and print your pictures!
We need to edit our images by picking out only the very best and deleting the others. You can then process them, crop them, convert to black and white, and do any retouching and/or enhancements. The final stage is to print and display them – something that most of us tragically rarely get round to doing.
Experiment and learn
When you have time and no pressure, take lots of pictures, experiment and make mistakes – learn from them – you will discover new avenues and build your artistic repertoire.
Anna's available for family and corporate events as well as informal and formal portraits. You can find more on her website. All images © Anna McCarthy.
