Photo Tips for Family Functions
By Amy Sommer | October 17, 2011
I have two, young children which means that every weekday morning is a battle. My alarm clock calls me to war Monday through Friday. And, each morning from 6:30am-7:30am I gravel, scream, demand respect all in the interest of: a) shoving nutrition into them b) getting dressed (the order of 'a' and 'b' varies) and c) and allow me to make them presentable (or at least make it appear that they are not being raised by wolves) aka: brush hair, teeth and face, and apply sunblock (it's Southern California after all) before hustling them out the door to race to their respective school drop-offs on time.
Fall's annual "school photo days" added pressure to 'c' above and soon the holidays and their multitude of photo opportunities will be upon us. What steps can I take to to try to insure that t the school photos which I will inevitably buy and the holiday photos which I can't escape are decent? As I live in Los Angeles, I consulted a professional photographer, Kevin Lynch. Lynch's fine art images have been featured at galleries throughout Europe and at Christophe Van De Weghe Fine Arts in New York City and in publications from Wallpaper and Rolling STone to GQ and Harper's Bazaar. His corporate clients including leading Hollywood studios (Sony, NBC/Universal among them) and he has photographed aesthetically blessed personalities including Monica Bellucci, Jamie Fox, Kristen Dunst, Clive Owen Jeff Bridges and many other luminaries.
"First off, the camera knows so don't with a pose or fake smile -- think of a moment you shared with your family to bring a true emotion," says Lynch, "think about laughter, a peaceful place, the memory of a friend anything that will bring a real smile to your face." As for the holiday photos, Lynch suggests letting the camera find you, "Why not look at each other...isn't that why you are at the family gathering to begin with? You're there to share time with loved ones so look at each other and don't look for the camera, let it discover the good picture you'll create by enjoying each other.
Lynch's sage advice should help some of my photos actually make it from digital file to framed wall hanging... if I can get the kids to brush their hair.
For more information on Kevin Lynch:
www.kevinlynchstudios.com
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