Family photo op

Learn to create picture-perfect photos

By Astrid Van Den Broek

As much as I love my husband for all the great things he does, he’s inconsistent as a photographer. Sometimes he takes outstanding pictures, but when he tries the same tricks again, his photos turn out horribly. And it takes him too long to get things right.

Sound familiar? If you’re not exactly celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz behind the lens, read on to discover how to improve your shots, use “cheats” to fix your photos and share your shots with friends and family.

Download our perfect shot checklist to help improve your seasonal snapping.

Gathering the troops for a photo shoot

Let’s talk about setting up shots.

Choose a uniform colour scheme for the entire family, such as black and white or shades of red. “For festive shots, you want simple colours; no strong patterns,” says Kevin Hewitt, a photographer who shoots for consumer magazines such as Today’s Parent and Canadian Living.
Sketch a few pictures. Think about candles and cake for birthdays or about the recipient’s favourite colours or hobbies.
Scope out the space you’re shooting in and think about where to position people. For example, for living room portrait shots, avoid the sofa at all costs, explains commercial photographer Sandra Strangemore. “With a couch, the photo tends to be very much a line because you can’t get people in behind it,” she says. Instead, Strangemore prefers to “layer” people around a chair because the different heights make the portrait more interesting.
Give your photos a lift. When taking pictures, think about standing on a stepstool. “Shooting down on people, just slightly above eye height, can make them look more flattering,” says Hewitt. “It makes a slight roundness to the eyes and it makes the chin separate from the neck.”
Stay camera-ready for candids. Push the shutter halfway down and point it to the area where the action is about to happen. Then shoot. “That way you’re setting the camera up for autofocus, auto exposure and it’s colour balanced,” says Hewitt. “And it takes that delay away on a lot of cameras.”
Don’t crowd everyone into the shot. Ask all the people in the picture if they have a good view of you, the photographer. If they don’t, then your camera won’t have a good view of them.

Put together a photo kit that contains everything you need to get your subjects camera-ready.

Go time: Tips for a great digital photo

When taking the actual shot, check your lighting. Use natural light when you can. And whatever you do, avoid using the red-eye reduction setting because its series of quick flashes can make people squint more, says Hewitt. If you need more light, he suggests setting your camera on regular flash or simply using the lights of the room, if possible. Then use your computer software to easily remove red-eye.

You’ll also want to choose a background that doesn’t compete or blend in with your subjects. Opt for neutral-colour backgrounds so your family, not the wacky wallpaper, is the focus of the photo.

Jot down notes about what each of your subjects should wear for the photo shoot so everyone is coordinated.

Hewitt stresses that the photographer needs to have all his equipment — camera and tripod — ready for the shot. And parents of young children should let the photographer get their children’s attention. “Be silly with the kids and have fun,” he says. “I tell parents to forget about the kids, smile and then I wait for the kids to look at me.”

Photo-editing faces

Oh no — Uncle John is red-eyed in every picture! No worries. “Digital surgery” has never been easier. Programs such as Windows Photo Gallery offer a number of fix options, including red-eye reduction.

Strangemore suggests using Adobe Photoshop Elements (a more basic program than the professionally used Adobe Photoshop) to improve your shots. Or if Uncle John just forgot to show up for your shoot, you can use the program to cut and paste him in.

“It’s easy to do with the right software and lots of practice,” says Hewitt. (Note: Pasting someone into the picture after the fact works best if the missing person is shot in the same location with the same lighting.)

Sharing shots digitally

You can use Microsoft Vista’s Photo Print Wizard to print and share your photos. Or you can try photo-sharing sites such as Flickr or Kodak Gallery. These sites allow you to

show photos to a select group of invitees
add captions
print out copies of photos
have photos printed onto mugs or T-shirts

A good photo can be treasured and shared for years to come.

If you have a profile on a social networking site such as Windows Live Spaces, Facebook or MySpace, you can post your photos there. These sites allow you to share photos with more people and limit who can print and use them.