Fleeting moments, lifelong memories

My interest in photography – and specifically, family photography – took off when my second son was born. I had dabbled in it before, but it really clicked when I became a “mom with a camera”. I was stuck at home with two children and was looking to entertain myself!

I love that a photograph can satisfy on different fronts – emotionally through the subjects that are photographed and the moments that are documented; artistically through the look and feel that is created by light and perspective; and intellectually through the arrangement of different elements in the photo to convey a message.

For me, inspiration comes from “the moment” – a fleeting expression, a meaningful interaction, a sudden pang of familiarity from a seemingly ordinary action. That moment, seen through my FE 24-70MM F4 ZA OSS zoom lens and captured with my Alpha 7C camera, is layered with light and filtered through composition, all in an instant.

Why a zoom lens is fantastic for family photos

If you have ever struggled to get your children to cooperate for a simple selfie, you'll understand that efficiency is paramount to minimising stress for everyone. A zoom lens gives you the flexibility to take a variety of portraits just by switching up the focal distance, without fussing over lens changes or perfect tripod placement. You can also easily “add” or “subtract” family members in the portrait, while adjusting the focal distance to keep the portrait tight.

Playing with perspectives

(Example 1: Fixed tripod position)

Portraits in the park
This series of images was taken in a park, with the tripod in a fixed position at around 4m away from where we stood to be photographed. As I had the benefit of space, I chose to stand further away and use a minimum focal distance of 35mm to minimise distortion.

Shooting at 35mm, 50mm and 70mm from the same tripod position enabled me to “create” a variety of portrait backgrounds, even though we were standing in the same spot.

Playing with perspectives

(Example 2: Moving your tripod)

Home is where the heart is
These images were taken at home, and the tripod was placed at different distances from where we were. From the furthest position of around 3m, and using a 70mm focal distance, I was able to take a tight portrait that isolated our faces against the creamy background – even with an aperture of F4.

What if you don't have the luxury of space? I simulated taking the same shot in a smaller space by moving the tripod closer to us and shooting wide using a 24mm focal distance. This created a less compressed background and provided a more accurate sense of space, but also resulted in a little distortion.

Moving the tripod slightly back to around 2m and using a 35mm focal distance instead, minimised the distortion while still retaining the sense of space.

This lack of distortion, combined with a sense of environment, is why I usually use a 35mm focal distance inside my home. I also recommend shooting at a minimum shutter speed of 1/250s to avoid any motion blur – which could happen if one of the kids suddenly decides to move their head or hands!

Family fun!
I am a huge proponent of injecting fun and personality into all my shoots, even staged portraits. To achieve this, I let my kids show the way!

Since I know exactly what my boys are like, and how they think, I use small prompts like, “Show your brother how much you love him!” to instantly bring out their playful side. Or you could let your kids get creative, and ask them to direct a shot or two!

Fun with flash

(Using flash for better lighting)

Families stick together – in dark times, and in brightness
While natural lighting is fantastic, the timing of family gatherings or prevailing weather conditions may mean that natural light isn't good enough. In this example, it was getting close to dusk and was really dark outdoors.

Using flash - bounced at an angle - enabled me to overcome the orange lights and take a photo without having to use an extremely high ISO, which would have introduced a lot of noise into the file.

Photographing the photographer (using the timer)
The self-timer on the Alpha 7C can be set to take either 3 or 5 continuous shots after a 2, 5 or 10 second delay. I usually:

• Position everyone else for the portrait and leave a space for myself
• Compose the photo and set the AF point on a family member's face, while using Eye AF to further sharpen focus
• Set the self-timer on 5 seconds
• Join the portrait (before the timer is up)

In this example, I used a 2 second timer because my kids were super fidgety and would make faces with every passing second!

Staying calm during a pandemic, and finding inspiration in family

While the pandemic has caused varying degrees of uncertainty and disruption to all our lives, I recognise that I've been luckier than many others – as my husband and I have been able to work safely from home most of the time – and my kids have their grandparents living in the same country.

Shooting family portraits has been one way for us to remember the importance of family ties.

I believe that everyone can benefit from taking your own family portraits (rather than only doing it in a studio). You'll be able to commemorate more family events, have the flexibility of choosing your own backgrounds, and during this pandemic, can have peace of mind knowing that your family (especially the elderly) is in a safe environment.

All you need is a camera and zoom lens that can capture your family at their very best, like my favourites, the Alpha 7C and FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS.