TOP TIPS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY PHOTOGRAPHY

To get the best out of your holiday photography, creativity and a little bit of preparation are your best friends. The goal should really be to capture the essence of the trip, rather than a series of formally posed group shots. It’s capturing the fun times time you are having with your children. And showing what they are into right now, this summer. Because next year, they might well be into something else. It’s freezing a moment in time to cherish when the holiday is long past.

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Rather than a chore, this should be a fun creative project. And depending on the age of your children, you may be able to get them to engage with the process instead of just being reluctant subjects. Have a competition for the funniest picture, the best face they can pull, the highest they can jump, etc. Or take pictures of the children doing the things they love, walking a dog, playing cricket, reading a book or just chilling out. Just capture the essence of the family holiday.

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An easy way to capture the spirit of the holiday is by taking action shots of everyone doing what they like. Think about what you do, not only the planned activities but the daily rituals such as chilling out, cooking together, etc. Sometimes it’s great just to get them doing things they love such as building sandcastles or playing on a swing.

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Or jumping on a trampoline, or playing football or cricket, archery, riding horses, eating ice cream, playing cards or board games. Capture all the things you like to do as a family. The more fun they are having, the better the images will be.

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But when it comes to actually line people up for the more formal shots, first think about your backdrop. Think of texture and colour. try posing them up on some steps, up in a tree, along a bench, on rocks, on a swing, climbing on haystacks or doing a pyramid on the beach. Or if you are in the countryside, find a barn to line them up against.

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It also helps to bring colour into pictures. Corrugated walls often make for good textured and colourful backgrounds.

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Next, let’s think about props such as pots of paint or crayons. Or beach towels or surfboards, tennis rackets or in canoes/ and kayaks, bicycles or fishing rods. Whatever reflects what is going on in your home or on your holiday.

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If possible, avoid direct sunlight into the face, you want the sun behind your subjects. Golden hour (the hour before sunset) is always the best light and in terms of lighting a face, it’s beautifully flattering. And behind the subject, It gives a lovely halo effect. And, since sunny days can be tricky, it might be an idea to take advantage of an overcast day for your portraits. If normal activities are suspended, having fun making portraits will be a great distraction.

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The top tip of all, make it fun. You will always get the best possible pictures of people when they are enjoying themselves!

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I hope this post has given you inspiration for your holiday photography. For more thoughts on getting good photographs of your children, see my blog here.

“Photography through the lens of a storyteller”

LONDON CHILDREN AND FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER