I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been back to the place I grew up since I went away to college.
I was lucky to have a wedding back down in San Diego so I stayed a couple extra days and went to church on sunday, back in the same building I spent countless hours while in jr. high and High School.
While roaming the halls I saw two old friends and of course they had large families by now.
So I told them lets go outside and take some pictures.
We went in the back so we wouldn’t interupt as many people and the kids could run around at ease a bit more.
We just kind of hung out for a while and watched the kids play like kids are known to do.
Why not right? It was more fun for me to chat while a camera was in my hand and while the kids ran around doing fun things.
Plus it’s nice to do nice things for old friends.
Specially the ones that keep in contact the most on facebook.
Even organized a couple of group things.
You might think I made the poor kid cry… but I stand innocent.
I suppose sometimes kids just cry. I know that never happens to any of your kids.
Parents aren’t supposed to have favorites… but photographers can.
This red-head is a model in the making.
So i was down in San Diego for a wedding I went and visited where I grew up in Chula Vista… and then I went and visited an old friend of the family.
I wanted to visit them and I also really wanted to take some pictures of her, her kids and her brother, because I thought it a kind gesture.
There are benefits of having me stop by the house… Personally I love shooting anytime anywhere.
If there are no expectations even better… (meaning I’m just doing it out of the kindness of my heart and the people don’t expect it to happen and there’s no huge committment.)
And in this case I didn’t feel any expectation or pressure and I was able to just lounge in the couch and had the camera in hand as the kids played around… and I got an good dinner out of it.
Portraits
We go out and pose kids and get them looking their best… and that’s cool.
Sometimes the mom goes crazy when they goof off during the shoots… sometimes she doesn’t.
Sometimes the kids behave… sometimes they don’t.
That’s just the way it is.
People get a photographer to come and do the portraits that they don’t feel comfortable doing themselves, or perhaps they want to be in it too.
MORE THAN PORTRAITS
But what about a photographer to just be there to Document life sometimes.
This visit
Like for instance I went and visited a friend.
I went out to the car and pulled out my camera.
Nothing changed… they did exactly what they would have done that hour had I not been there.
What the little girl did
The girl finished her math homework. I got them while she was seriously studying… before she even knew what was happening.
Of course she noticed too… then She made faces at me and joked around.
The mom told her to stop making faces… but you know what it’s fine it’s her.
What the little boy did
He was playing with his airplane and showing it to me… so i had him pose with it.
He was playing Wii so i just took some candids.
What the mom did
The mom was working on the computer on top of the washer. She didn’t know… but that’s what life is like that’s what she does, that’s what we do. That’s truly documenting life.
I’m not saying there’s no interaction from the photographer, that there’s no posing… I suppose it’s a mix of everything… it’s going with the flow, doing whatever happens.
It’s different than a portrait shoot
But with paid shoots this can be harder… because sometimes we have to let go of wanting everything to be exactly the way we planned it.
Just let things happen and trust that I’ll take totally awesome pictures that testify to who your family really is, but maybe a little biased towards making you look good anyway
Sometimes the best things happened unplanned
Sometimes some of the best possible pictures happen unplanned and unposed and they mean the most because it speaks to what life was really really really like.
And that day this is what life was like for that hour. See all
You’ll notice there isn’t one focal picture in the bunch. There’s not one that is the pinnacle of perfection… but to this family there are many many that represent each person and will be fun to them.
As opposed to… In the previous post I said why “Traditional” family portraits suck to do. (for me)
Now I’ll say why I think non-traditional family pictures could be the most fun a photographer could have.
What kind of pictures am I talking about? I’m talking about unique experiences and events with tons of fun stuff going on… and a photographer is there to capture the moments.
A family Reunion
A day at the park
Game Night
A vacation
A Hike
A BBQ
Anything but just standing there in a line
Be creative!
One Possibility for the best pictures ever
I would much much rather show up at a house early in the morning as the family has a wonderfully prepared breakfast, eats together (all traditional like) then they head off to the park or beach or woods together and have a pic-nic and laugh and tell jokes and enjoy eachothers company. Perhaps throw the frisbee around or go swimming. Here and there they can line up so they’re all in the shot, either more formally or in their element. But those shots won’t be the focal point. Then they return home and all individually do the things they like doing. Dads fixing the old project car and getting greasy, mom is cooking, sewing, planting or vice versa. The little kid is playing with his cars. The young girl has her ballet outfit on. The teenager is playing his/her favorite sport, talking on the cellphone or using the computer haha… of they invite some of their friends along to do stuff. They have a BBQ and a party or what not….
The possibilities are limitless
I’m just coming up with this stuff on the spot… who knows what it could be… the possibilities are limitless.
What do you do with the pictures?
Again… Be creative.
Make a book.
Use on Blog, emails, websites
To REALLY document your family… not some stiff portrait
have lots of pictures for the walls… pick the best of each person
An EXAMPLE
I reconfirmed this theory by doing a 3 day family reunion with my family 3500 pictures later!!!
I’m not to into taking family portraits…
There’s a lot of stressing out going on in portraits.
Feeding Each other STRESS
Parents get stressed because they want things to go perfectly.
When kids get grumpy or distracted… the parents start to freak.
Which in turn makes the kids freak out more… which in turn…
I’m sure you get the picture.
Not “Good” Money
Besides family pictures aren’t really good money (comparatively)
It’s my opinion that the price structure for family pictures was based on buying prints.
This mindset of wanting mainly prints is largely disappearing for most families.
Prints aren’t as “big” as photographers would like
Heck I personally would rather have the disc than a print on my wall… specially since I move more often and I use blogs, websites and facebook mostly and I can print stuff up myself just fine.
So people don’t want as many prints but the sitting fee for portraits has largely stayed the same.
Then there’s the people who think that because a CD costs $1 (which it doesn’t more like .15 cents) that charging them $100 for a CD is next to highway robbery.
Personally I don’t like being in charge of printing… I want to be paid for what I do (photograph) I don’t want to push products (like prints, albums etc)
I understand that the market and the abundance of new photographers will push prices down for photographers as some raise their prices (like I do all the time)
Not For me
All I’m saying is Traditional Family Picture sessions are not worth it for me.
I put up with boring weddings because they’re a lot of money and they’re very important.
Go to a studio for the traditional Shots
But i think if people are looking for good prices for family pictures they should go to studios, that’s their thing.
The Exception
That being said I have actually had a couple of families that were all right and enjoyable experiences
And in down times I’m sure I’d say yes because the money is nice… I’m just saying I don’t like it much.
But I like a “real” job…. way way less!
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