Learn How To Take Better Family Holiday Photos

Capture Memories That Last A Lifetime

Do you ever return home from a wonderful family holiday and wish you’d put more effort into your photos? Follow these tips the next time you go away!

The average British family is extremely well-travelled. Royal Caribbean revealed that a typical child has visited four European cities, been on two ski holidays and flown long-haul three times – all before they turn ten years old. In comparison, the parents of these children had only left the country twice by the same age – never venturing further than Europe. Whilst family holidays have changed in nature over the decades, the desire to capture memories of these close moments of togetherness is still a priority. And with modern technology, and a bit of inspiration, it’s possible to create better holiday snaps to add to your family collection.

Spontaneous Shots

Spontaneous snaps are able to capture a natural quality and playfulness of expression that is much harder to achieve in a posed shot. If your family are playing on the beach, or hiking up a hillside, whip out the camera and take a picture without them being aware. With digital photos, you can take as many of these ‘action’ shots as you wish and edit them down until you find the perfect image for your collection.

Planning Your Posing

Of course, posed shots have much to offer too, particularly as they allow you to have control over what you want to capture within the window of your camera. Plan your shot by deciding what you’d like to have in the background – perhaps the ocean, or a stunning view of the mountains? If you’re enjoying a city break with your family, then cobbled streets of the old town make a fantastic backdrop and are a great way to frame your family shot.

Using Natural Light

When you’re on holiday, you have a great opportunity to make the most of the natural light available to you, particularly if you’ve left a grey and drizzly landscape back at home. Try to avoid using your flash, and take as many photos outside as possible. The only thing to remember is to take note of where the sun is positioned as you don’t want your subjects to be squinting into the light when you take the picture.

A particularly fun and alternative family photo idea is to go out at sunset when the light is directly behind your family members. Keep your ISO low but increase your shutter speed to ensure that your subjects are underexposed, and you’ll be amazed by the striking silhouettes that are created. If you get it right, then this is a truly special shot.

Joining Your Family in The Photos

A problem with lots of family photos, is that there’s often someone missing – you! To capture a picture with all of you in it, you have a few options available to you. You can either ask a willing passer-by to assist, which might be a bit risky depending on the strength of their photography skills. Another option is to use a selfie stick to fit you all in the shot. Finally, you could invest in a camera equipped with a standby timer, allowing you to set up the shot perfectly with the use of a handy travel tripod. You can then hop in the picture just in time!

Get Your Kit Ready in Advance

If you need a camera upgrade before your holiday, then try offsetting the cost of a new model by trading in your existing device. For example, utilising the services of a sell used Canon camera site will allow you to gain a competitive quote and exchange your equipment for a new upgrade to take on your next trip. Make sure that you’re familiar with your new kit before you travel, then all there’s left to do is to make some wonderful family memories.