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2. Be creative—Everyone takes pictures of people lined up and smiling. Try something different! Maybe people in action, maybe folks grouped around a special activity, or maybe some of the uneventful times will make interesting pictures.
3. Lighting is important—Inside a building, pictures look great when you can get a picture near a window with lots of daylight. Watch for backlighting—where the light source is behind your subject. That can create shadows. Outside, if the sun is shining in the faces of your subject, that creates fewer shadows, but more squints. Try to get enough light without it causing discomfort.
4. Get close up shots—What looks large in your camera’s viewfinder will look small on a developed picture. Get up close to your subject, and then get a bit closer still. Focus on face pictures if there’s no reason that you need to see someone’s entire body.
5. Catch your subject being natural—Happy action shots are much more engaging than stiff poses. Try to mingle in a crowd, rather than lining up people for static groupings.
6. Include foreground and background—Sometimes knowing what’s going on at the scene is just as important as seeing the people!
7. Spontaneity (be ready)—Sometimes the moment strikes without warning. Make sure you have your camera with you, loaded with film, and ready to shoot!
8. Shoot off center for effect—Centering your subject in the middle of the shot is boring. Try mentally dividing your viewfinder into a grid of 9 squares, and line up your subject in various sections.
9. Hold your camera steady—if it helps, hold your breath when you click the shutter. Or lean your arm against something solid. Nobody wants a jiggly image.
10. Try shooting at different angles—Shooting a picture straight-on is fine, but try something different! Get down on the ground, up in a tree, behind a chair, or if it’s a child or pet, get down on their level. It really presents your image in a different way!
Oh, and tip #11? RELAX!! Sometimes the bloopers are just as great as the success!
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1. Make a plan—Think about what you may expect to see at your photo event. Will there be certain things happening that you don’t want to miss? Do you want to be sure to get a special group of folks gathered together? Will there be multi-generational groups that will make a memorable picture? Think about what you want to be sure to photograph, and also leave plenty of film for the unexpected candid pictures, as well.
