3 Tips on How to Capture Real Family Moments this Thanksgiving
The snow falls softly on the window sills as the aroma of pie floats through the air. I can hear sports castors debating about a play during the football game as I slip my cold toes into my warm, fuzzy socks and shuffle around my parent's home with my dog, Porthos, trotting right behind me. I am at home for the Thanksgiving holiday and I am capturing this unique time in my life. I believe that it's the moments between the cheesy birthday cake smiles and the standard I graduated from college look at my piece of paper images that are truly most important. Capturing images of your family and what they are like and interested in today, right now is a precious thing that I know you will treasure long after the cake is gone and the diploma hung on the wall. I love seeing these kinds of images of my friends and family, and I am going to share 3 helpful tips on how to capture real life family moments this Thanksgiving - or it can even be if you want to capture what Sunday mornings look like or any ordinary, real day.
1. Anticipate Moments
As a wedding and lifestyle photographer a big part of my job is anticipating moments and having my camera ready. You need to be aware of the events of the day and where all the excitement and action may be taking place and then anticipate when to click the shutter. Be wary of over shooting as you may still miss an important moment if you are machine-guning shots, take your time and wait for a moment to happen. And have your camera ready - even by looking through the viewfinder as you watch the scene can help dramatically.
Much like I did as my dad carved up our bird and Porthos watched, entranced, as each piece of meat traveled off the bone and onto the serving dish .... and then one hit the floor and he was on it! This is so typical of how he always acts - hanging around the kitchen just waiting for one of us to drop something - ha!
2. Don't Forget About the Details
As your family goes about their day take some time to open your eyes to all the small things that make the day special. For Thanksgiving, food is obviously an important detail, but I also walked around our kitchen, living room, and dining room noticing the Christmas bells already hanging on the front door and on how much time was left on the kitchen timer as well as the fact that my parents live in the country with big trees and a barn - and did I mention the food?
Don't be afraid to get close to see even more details and explore new ways of looking at these seemingly ordinary objects. Having detail pictures of the day help tell a well rounded story and one that may look different every year as the kids get older or as you spend your first Thanksgiving with your new husband's family.
3. Show What's Unique About the Day
Every story has unique characters with interesting customs and while you probably already know that your family is it's own distinct tribe, be sure to highlight these special traits with your camera. Here in Michigan, it's not Thanksgiving without watching the Detroit Lions play football and convincing Dad to flip the channel to the Friends Thanksgiving episodes that air back to back all while good food cooks and puppy dogs cuddle with us.
Remember, even you have a unique perspective on these events! If other people are also taking photos be sure to jump right in and capture how you see your family and the events because it will look like no one else's.
It's natural that if some one is blowing out birthday candles you'd want to capture them, but a lot of the time it is seeing everyone else's reaction to this that is all the more interesting. Sometimes the real story can be seen when you turn your camera away from the spotlight. Another unique way to capture your family is to find a different perspective. Stand on a chair or squat down to capture an image from a different perspective and you will find out why I am always doing this during a family portrait session or at a wedding - I don't look so crazy now eh?
It's important to document these things when you are with the special people in your life, during events you cherish, but don't forget to put down the camera or your phone's camera and make memories. Dig in!
- Courtney Carolyn
How did it go? Were these tips helpful? Join the conversation below!
