Day at the Beach © Tim Pannell Photography
Everybody I know wants to be able to take better pictures of their families. We have all kinds of important occasions in our families that we want to record and be able to look back on.
Think of all the holidays, birthdays, vacations, family reunions, school plays, sports programs, not to mention all of the everyday “ordinary” activities that can provide extraordinary opportunities to make great photographs.
My wife and I are at a point in our lives when our kids are moving out of the house. It’s very bittersweet. We’re excited to see our kids growing up and moving off to college to take on the world, but there’s a rather large piece of us that yearns for those days, not so long ago, when we had everyone at home in our own little nuclear family.
I recently went through the last 18 years of transparencies from my career, organizing them and boxing them up for long term storage. To say that it was memory lane would be an understatement.
I have all of my children’s lives documented in these boxes. It’s hard to believe how quickly they have grown up. We have 2 left at home, a 16 year old son and an 11 year old son. There’s really not much time left until they will be moving on as well.
It makes me want to take advantage of that time and make sure we create some wonderful memories to take with us into the future.
If you have a digital camera, use it. Keep it handy so it’s easily accessible. If something fun starts happening at home, grab it and start shooting. Don’t stop whats happening and have people look into the camera, that can seriously interrupt the flow of the moment.
The Toss © Tim Pannell Photography
The first couple of times you do this, your kids may be a bit self conscious, but as they get used to you whipping out that camera, they’ll learn to almost completely ignore you and you’ll be able to create some wonderful candid photographic moments.
Not everything has to be set up with extra lighting. Natural light is wonderful when you know how to use it properly. The more you shoot, the more you start understanding how best to position yourself with respect to the available light.
Some of my favorite shots I’ve taken over the years are some of my simplest setups. The “daddy – daughter” shot in this post was available light only, no reflectors or anything. i just wanted to be a fly on the wall and get them just being together.
No elaborate setup, no over the top emotions or expressions. It’s a simple, classic look and feel. I love shooting at the beach more than just about anything. The sound of the surf coming in and going out is very relaxing and lends itself to feelings of timelessness.
If you’re interested in learning more about lighting, f-stops, shutter speeds, composition and just photography in general, be sure to sign up below for the Photo Mommies Online Photography Workshop. Registration begins in just 2 weeks – September 22nd. The 8 week class starts on October 19th. Enrollment is just $300.
