Take perfect family photos

Family portraits have never been so fun and lighthearted as they are now. When those opportunities to create memorable photos present themselves, it pays to be ready. These tips will take your iPhone and iPad photography skills to the next level.

There’s a foolproof recipe for stellar portraits: uncluttered background, great light.

A solid-colour wall (it doesn’t have to be white!) works wonders, especially if your subjects are wearing clothes with busy patterns.

For a light source, look for a bright window (always flattering), or a big lamp with a warm-white bulb.

We had the kids in this shot goof off near a window (although not directly beside it), then started snapping away.

By definition, you can’t force a candid shot. But you can set yourself up for success.

Position yourself so the light source isn’t directly behind the people you’re photographing. For example, to get the sparkly sprinkling of snow in the first shot below, we stood with the sun slightly to the side.

When photographing a large group, don’t be afraid to crop some folks out of the frame, as we did in the second shot. What’s essential is to take lots and lots (and lots) of photos. One is bound to be great.

In the photos below, see how some parts of the family’s faces are nicely illuminated while others are partly in shadow? That’s the mix you’re going for.

And don't forget that you can adjust exposure and contrast after the fact. In the first photo, we cranked up the exposure so much that the background is blown out—but it works. Ignore rules. Go with what looks right to you.

Yes, it’s old-school, but going black-and-white cranks the emotional factor while making photos appear less busy (case in point: the sweater below).

To get “dramatic” rather than “washed out”, we imported this photo into VSCO, applied a black-and-white filter, then took the exposure down and the contrast up. This isn’t a science, though. Play around with the settings until you stumble on something you like. You’ll know it when you see it.

After a snowfall, light bounces off of snow broadly and evenly. Even if someone’s standing with the sun behind them, they’ll still be nicely illuminated. It's just like having a reflector, a common tool in a photographer's toolkit.

You’ll probably want to decrease the exposure when shooting. To do this in the native Camera app, tap the screen wherever you want to focus. Once the sun icon appears, swipe down until you can see details on the surface of the snow.

Bundle up!

Even though you’re the designated photographer, don’t forget to include yourself in a photo or two. The Camera app on the iPhone has a timer that gives you a few seconds to get into a shot. Just tap the clock icon at the top of the screen.

And if you have an Apple Watch, you can trigger the timer and look through the camera’s viewfinder right from your wrist. Open Camera on the Watch, then tap the “3s” button on the bottom right of the screen. A buzz on your wrist and a preflash from your iPhone let you know it’s time to smile with your eyes.

Editors’ Note: We took all the photos in this story with the Camera app on iPhone. We then imported our favourites into VSCO for editing.

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