Photographing Family Get-togethers

A family get-together can be a family vacation, a birthday party, a reunion, a wedding, or a holiday dinner. It also doesn't have to be a formal event. Sometimes you'll just look around and realize everyone is there and it's a great time to capture some photos of your family all together.

Focus on Faces:
Primarily, you'll want to photograph people (and maybe a few pets) at a family get-together. After all, that's who makes up the family! When I think of a family get-together, I tend to include my adult siblings, parents, and nieces and nephews, but as we all know, everyone's family is unique, so yours will certainly include a different makeup of people than mine. You can adapt these ideas to fit your own circumstances.

• Candids - The easiest type of photographs to take during a family get-together, candid pictures catch people in their most natural state. Especially helpful for this type of photography is a zoom lens, so that you're able to get close to your subject without having to physically invade their space (which inevitably changes the naturalness of the photograph).
  
  
• Action - Action shots are a version of candids, but usually also include movement. A hearty laugh, an animated arm movement, or a potato sack race at a reunion picnic can all be frozen in time with a fast shutter lens. You can also exaggerate the movement by doing the opposite and using a slower shutter speed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Posed - Although not always as "natural," posed shots are just as desirable, because it allows you to place the subjects in the best light, have them look at the camera and smile. If a group of people are sitting together on a couch, ask them to turn and smile! I've found that the first shot is usually my favorite because it looks most natural, but don't stop at just one photo-just in case! I like to shoot three of everything to ensure a "best" shot.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Relationships - During a family get-together, the most important thing you can capture are the relationships between mother and child, grandparent and grandchild, siblings, etc. You can capture these relations in action, candid, and posed pictures. Look for moments where different relationships are interacting. Start with an action candid shot and then ask them to look at the camera for a more posed picture.
  
  
  

• Groups - In our family, anytime we are all together, we try to capture at least one posed group shot of everyone in the family. It's been a great tradition to watch our family grow and change over the years. If you can get a non-family member to take the picture for you, perfect. Otherwise, plan to bring a tripod and use a self-timer so that you can be included in the portrait too.
  
  
  

Capturing Places:
In addition to capturing the people at each family event, you may also want to take some environment pictures to remember the places, things and activities your family enjoyed together. These photos can be detail photographs or they can include people in them as well, but just be sure to include the environment around you in some of the pictures you take that day.

• Location - Photograph the grandparents farm, the room with a lit Christmas tree where everyone meets together, the park pavilion, or wherever your get-together is taking place.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Food - I don't know about your family, but our family get-togethers almost always include a full menu and hours spent visiting at the dinner table. Photograph the buffet of food displayed, the dinner table with everyone seated together, and detail photographs of special place settings or dishes that are meaningful to your family.
  
  
  

• Games/Activities - If you're watching the SuperBowl, photograph the television with the game playing. If you're playing cards, get a close-up of someone's hand (good or bad!). Opening presents? Get a photograph of all the torn and crumpled wrapping paper. You get the idea.

Photographing a family event can be stressful, but remember that you're there to enjoy the event as well. Hang out a while, then pull out your camera a little later, and once you've gotten some good shots, put it away again (or hand it to someone else). I'm guilty of experiencing too many get-togethers through the lens of a camera, and sometimes it's nice to just experience it with everyone else!

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