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What is the most important ingredient in family photographs?
Is it the expressions? Or the relationships depicted between the subjects? Or the time and occasion of the portrait being taken? All these things are important but most important is our memory of the family, the people, who they are and the viewers relationship to them and the occasion and time when it was taken.
“Perhaps we have to loose our memory, if only in bits and pieces, to realize that memory is what makes our lives. Life without memory is no life at all. Our memory is our coherence, our reason, our feeling, even our action. Without it we are nothing. We no longer live an identity. Memory has become the means by which we possess identity. One of the most precious things we have in a marriage, in a family, in a friendship, is a shared collective memory. As soon as photographs show us the world we think we know, it instantly becomes the world we remember. We see what we remember through the photograph, but we also discover those things we have forgotten. The photograph becomes the site of such identification. It remains the cursor on our understanding of what it means to remember that I am who I have been.” Les Walkling 1992
Consider the thoughts of a child seeing themselves in the family portrait, perhaps remembering it being taken, seeing themselves as part of a family, building up that confidence and growing identity by joining the past to the present.
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Photography Tips Articles
The John Cowan Photography Tips Blog covers all areas of photography, including;
selecting a photographer, preparation, taking the image, displays and portraits.
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How to avoid tears and tantrums at photo taking time!
What you can do for stunning images of your children;
- Timing timing timing is the most important step you can make to smooth the way for a hassle free photo session. Having photographed literally thousands of children the one most important factor with children up to about eight years is doing it at the best time of the day for them!
- Go with the flow! By all means have ideas for shots, outfits, props, hats etc but after trying them and not getting the required result, modify it or try something else. If a child is on antibiotics, has a fever or is out of sorts, you will know and it is better to reschedule than fight the problem.
- No fancy poses. Never tell children to smile, just encourage them to react or participate in the happenings, as this will produce natural expressions and body language. Reward them with words rather than sweets as this kills the expression until they have finished eating!
- No overpowering props or clothes. The goal is to obtain relaxed natural expressions and to make this the centre piece of the image rather than a prop. Plain timeless clothes work better than garments that draw attention to themselves with writing or bold patterns and stripes. Your images will last many years and their value will be enhanced by using clothes that have a simple timeless look.
Good things you can do; Bring a variety of clothes, complete outfits, dark and light colours, hats, toys, scarves, maybe heritage items that have relevance for you, and your imagination!
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