How to Take Family Lifestyle PhotosCourtney Slazinik uses the Tamron SP 24-70mm VC lens to capture special moments in her family's everyday routine. |
Article by Jenn Gidman Images by Courtney Slazinik |
Between running her Click It Up a Notch blog and raising three young daughters (ages 6, 5, and almost 2), Courtney Slazinik is always on the go. She's also always got her camera in hand, ready to capture the personal moments in her family's day-to-day routine. |
The Tamron SP 24-70mm VC lens helps Courtney to create a variety of intimate photos on the fly. "I keep my camera on my desk or kitchen counter so I can just grab it and take pictures whenever I want," she says. "I love the 24-70 for its zoom factor. I can be far away and zoom out so the camera's not right in my kids' faces, which really allows me to step back and see the world through their eyes. Or I can zoom in to get a more up-close photo. I love that that fixed maximum F/2.8 aperture, which helps me nicely blur out the background and really focus on my kids' faces. I get so many different looks with that one lens." |
Because many of her picture-taking sessions are spontaneous, she especially values the 24-70's Vibration Compensation feature. "I need the VC to help with my handshake, especially when taking photos of kids handheld," she says. "The 24-70 ensures I get really sharp images." |
Read on for Courtney's tips on capturing special moments with your own kids. |
Brighten your photos by taking advantage of large windows and light-colored décor. |
Obviously, I'm a photographer, so I think like that; others might not think that far ahead when settling in to a new home. But what you can do when taking pictures around your home is look for the largest windows in your house to maximize the light that's coming in. You can also use white reflective surfaces to bounce light onto your subjects: I'll seat my daughters at a white table or on a white bed comforter to give them a little extra illumination. |
Don't be satisfied with the first angle you try. |
That's where the 24-70 really shines with its versatility. I might be shooting something straight on and zoomed out to capture more of the environment; then I'll realize I can get a better shot by zooming in a little closer and shooting from above. The key is to constantly be moving and try every angle you can think of. Some of my favorite pictures are the ones I didn't initially envision. |
One example: A photo I took of my daughters rolling around on my bed was a result of me trying out all different angles. I originally had this picture in my head of them all lined up on their stomachs on the bed, nice and cute, with me taking the picture straight on. But after I got that initial eye-level shot, I told them to start rolling around and say funny words to each other, and that got them giggling as I maneuvered myself so I was taking the picture from above them. That image ended up being the best one of the bunch. |
Capture your kids as they are without intruding on their activities... |
Now I just watch them as they go about their day and try to be a fly on the wall. I might catch a moment of my two older girls sitting at the kitchen table doing their homework, because I know one day they'll be teenagers and not want to sit with each other anymore! Or I'll sneak a peek into a bedroom while my husband is reading to them. I'll use the door to frame the image and get that very real moment where they don't even know I'm there. It's a way of freezing one of those special moments that parents experience every day. |
...but don't be afraid to subtly interact. |
I also try to give them a break after a few minutes of shooting. If we're doing something like reading together and I want to capture that moment, I promise them it will only be five or 10 minutes of pictures and then we'll go back to our activity. Just having that time limit is usually enough to get them to cooperate, because they know exactly when it's going to be over. |
Remember that a compelling portrait doesn't always have to focus on your child's face. |
Use the lines of in your house and in other surroundings to draw the viewer's eye right to your subjects. |
To see more of Courtney Slazinik's images, go to her Click It Up a Notch blog. |