As photographers we get comfortable in our roles behind the camera and we easily forget how important it is for us to step out from behind our camera once in a while. Below our ambassadors are sharing their tips for getting out from behind the camera and remembering to make and capture memories of your own.
#1 -Have family photos taken annually.
Anna of Anna Bowkis Photography says,
As a mum who happens to be a photographer , not very body confident , getting in front of the camera is not an easy task for me . The odd silly selfie I can manage but a “please can I take a photo of you mum” fills me with dread. I’ve spent years as a professional photographer telling my clients how important it is to be in your family photos . Our kids do not see our flaws , they see mum , the person they love and seek comfort from . My clients are always thankful that I take the time to take portraits of just them. So why is it so difficult for us mums, women to get in front of the camera?
We need to shake off this fear. I decided to listen to my own advice and started to hire a photographer yearly in the summer to do our family photos which included me ! After years of saying “next year once I’ve lost some weight ” I decided to just do it !
I chose a good friend and wonderful photographer who understood my fears and made me feel comfortable in front of the camera. I am so thankful that I make myself do this, I treasure these photos . I’m not going to lie , I do still find it difficult and I am overdue a family shoot , so in the meantime I let my budding photographer son take photos , especially when he says” mum the lights perfect and that background !”So what are you waiting for , hand the camera to your kids , they will capture you as they see you and you will be pleasantly surprised , or why not pick up the phone and hire your favourite photographer , and that includes you my photographer friend ! ( we are the worst culprits)
#2 – Take a selfie.
Marie-Pierre Capistran of Pretty Please says,
My favorite way to get in the picture is to take a selfie with my phone. I have several tips to take a good selfie. First of all, I always use the front camera. This means that I don’t see what I’m taking on the screen. The quality of the pictures is way better this way. The fact that we don’t see ourselves on the screen always make people laugh and gives really fun photos with natural smiles.
With some practice I got the hang of where to position myself and how to hold the phone to get what I want in the frame. I’m right handed, so I always position myself to the right side of my friends and/or of the landmark I want to photograph. I stretch my arm in front of us, and try to see where I have to hold the phone so that everyone is in the frame. I hold the phone without moving for some second so that it can focus on us. Holding the phone slightly higher than the eye level gives more flattering photos. I use the shutter that is on the screen, but that can be tricky so another way to do it is to use the volume button. I always shoot about 5 pictures at once and I pick the best one. If none is good we can redo a 5 shot take, but the natural smiles are harder to get the second time around.
#3 – Turn that selfie into a “self portrait.”
Amy of My Letter-Sized Life says,
I’m not really a “selfie” kind of gal. I’m often quick to delete the random selfie and this photo was no different. Luckily it had a chance to back up to my google photos before it was lost forever. And one year later I’m able to look back on this photo a bit more objectively. I no longer see the wrinkles and blemishes, instead I’m able to see the beauty in its details and be reminded of the person I was the day I took it. I’ve started to challenge myself to take at least one photo of myself a month – a photo that captures me just as I am. I call them “self portraits” because for me they are not a reminder of what I look like on the outside but rather a reflection of who I am on the inside.
#4 – Utilize your camera’s timer.
Monika of Internationelle says,
As photographers, sometimes it simply doesn’t occur to us to be in FRONT of the camera. Getting out from behind the camera has often slipped my mind when traveling alone, only to find that I’ve gotten home with zero pictures proving I was even there. I decided that had to change!
When your camera of choice is more than a phone, there’s no reason to take “selfies.” If there’s a self-timer, take a few minutes to experiment with it and you’ll thank yourself later. I love my Nikon’s self-timer, and I also have a little remote shutter that comes in handy for more complicated angles. I prefer side angles and back angles to posed shots just because it makes it seem more like someone else took the photos and I just happened to be in it.
#5 – Create opportunities to capture those candid moments!
Kim of Apple of Our Eye Photography says,
Sometimes in the middle of something as simple as making beds, morning light can stop me dead in my tracks. It can actually be quite distracting. While I am always prepared to snap a few photos of my own kids at a moment’s notice, it’s also nice to learn your settings, set focal points and the timer (or even use a remote) to jump in the frame as well. I’ve been known to stack a pile of t-shirts in a dresser drawer to set my camera on so that I can capture some raw candids of me and my own girls when the moment calls. Sometimes you’ll lose the moment if you take the time to set up a tripod. The more discreet, the better. Especially with children. Also, it’s a whole new feeling to have photos to work on that include you in them too!
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