Nothing brings back precious memories like great photographs. Be it birthdays; holidays; your first pet or even rites of passage moments in this journey of life, capturing a great shot that transcends time can often be elusive. Getting the right pose, a complementary background, and balanced composition with the right mood and lighting can often take the joy out of the process. Of course, it is up to the photographer to seize these fleeting moments and turn mundane family events into a source of joy in the years to come. 

With his Alpha 7C in hand, Rhys Dury, a Malaysia-based family photographer, has mastered translating precious moments into beautiful family portraits. Here, he shares some great tips and ideas you could incorporate into your next shoot with your family! 

I. Plan ahead 

While capturing spontaneity is the goal for every family photoshoot, it is always beneficial to plan ahead. You need to have your vision for the shoot as well as a carefully laid set of process for execution. Whether candid or posed, it would help to know beforehand the moments you’d want to shoot. 

For instance, you can select activities that will complement your location. If you are shooting at a park, you can bring toys for the kids to play with or even a picnic set that the entire family can bond over. This way, you can just keep snapping as they are comfortable enough to be in their natural state. The best moments to capture are when they do not realise that a camera is pointed at them. 

If you and your family decide to shoot under a theme, that would be great as well. A particular thing to consider is the date and time of the photoshoot, including which shots to take on first. If there are kids in the family, it would be great to prioritise the kids. 

II. Consider the location and lighting environment of the shoot 

Shooting in an environment you are comfortable with is among the fundamental considerations of a photoshoot. Whether shooting outdoors or indoors, make sure that the lighting and other elements of the location are something you can play around with. For instance, when shooting indoors, consider the lighting conditions and whether it is sufficient, or if you would need to use lighting equipment. When shooting outdoors, make sure not to shoot under harsh sunlight to avoid overexposure and casting dark shadows that may overpower the other elements in the photo. 

Sometimes, you won’t get to choose the shooting location. In such situations, you might need to scout the place to discover the best shooting spots, where the family can interact with the elements around it. 

III. Make sure that the photoshoot is fun for your family members as well 

It’s important to make the family photoshoot a fun experience for everyone. Rhys typically asks the family to react naturally and do their usual activities, disregarding the camera that is pointed at them. This ensures that real moments and emotions are captured and memorialised. 

IV. Get it as near right as possible in camera 

When your photos are already clean and sharp from the get-go, you won’t need to spend long hours editing each photo. For Rhys, doing minimal editing is best. To achieve this, you will need gears that empower and elevate your skills and help you create the photos the same way you envisioned it.

Getting it as near right as possible in camera can be quite tricky, especially for beginners. Here are some great techniques you can do when shooting a day out with your family:  

a. Shoot in continuous mode to not miss out on any moment 

With the Alpha 7C’s accurate focus, which Rhys called “a photographer’s dream,” you will never have to worry about blurry photos or missing the elusive moments. This is especially beneficial when capturing fast-moving subjects, like when children are at play or are in motion. Its real-time tracking with the ability to shoot up to 10 frames per second (FPS) to nail the focus of fast-moving subject quicker and more efficient to help you fully capture the real family moments. The image above not only illustrates the running child beautifully but also captures the stream of bubbles in sharp definition.   

b. Try creating bokeh 

Static family groups can look stiff and unnatural, resulting in boring and plain compositions. To add impact and definition in your family photos, try creating bokeh! Bokeh is the technique of introducing out-of-focus areas into a photographic image to add interest, depth and dimension.  

To demonstrate, Rhys added a front bokeh to what is a very standard portrait of a young girl to get the dreamy look. To achieve this, he took a low angle approach, thanks to the Alpha 7C’s flip screen, while keeping his camera focused on the subject. The blurry texture invoked by the bubbles created the bokeh look, which adds depth to the photograph while driving the eye to the main feature, which is the girl.  

In addition to bokeh, there are numerous other ways to make pictures more interesting. Consider avoiding colours that will merge with the background, like not wearing green for images at the park. You can keep a bright red jacket with you to make your subject stand out on a grey gloomy day, or if it is full sunlight, you can consider how the light dappling through the trees can add an air of mystery. Dappled light also prevents the subject from squinting into the sun and reduces risks of images being over-exposed. 

c. Ensure high picture quality to capture the finest details 

The picture quality of every camera can make or break a photo. You know that there are moments where having high picture quality is enough to capture great photos—but how does this happen?  

You can count on Alpha 7C to deliver precise colour reproduction. With its 15-stop dynamic range, it can capture intricate and fine details and deliver a wide range of highlights and shadows, even in extreme lighting conditions. 

Rhys mentioned that the 24.2MP count is essential as it gives him room for cropping any element should the need arise. Despite significant cropping, the shot taken (above) still shows optimum quality with all the very fine details.  

d. Reduce camera shake to capture stunning motion photos and videos 

If, like many beginners, motion blur due to an unsteady hand is a recurring issue in your photos, you can depend on Alpha 7C’s 5-axis image stabilisation to address this concern. This allows you to capture images or videos while keeping a steady grip on the camera.  

Typically, stabilisation is impossible to replicate without handheld gimbals. This makes the 5-axis stabilisation one of the most impressive features of the Alpha 7C. The usual jitters associated with family videos are almost eliminated, giving it a nicer and more watchable experience. Parents who don’t have the best grip or most steady hands can capture photos or film videos with better stability to produce sharper, higher-quality content. Whether you’re filming kids running around or family members playing a nice game of charades out in the garden, jitters will be the least of your concerns.

e. Try shooting at different angles 

Be creative! The composition can completely transform your images. The versatility of the Alpha 7C flip screen is revolutionary. When pulled out and angled, the screen allows the convenience of capturing angular shots without needing to reposition drastically. Thanks to this design, taking low angle shots is more convenient, especially when meeting the eye-level of children. At the same time, it comes handy when shooting above the crowd at a sports event or around the corner without being too intrusive.  

The image above shows a low angle shot and from Rhys’s experience using the flip up screen. Given the flexibility it allows, it was easy for him to capture the image as it gives him more freedom to think and focus on how he wanted to frame the composition. 

Conclusion 

The most important takeaway in family photography is to keep it organic, capturing natural moments as family members do whatever they are doing – laughing, running, jumping – and to keep the smiles and laughter spontaneous. Rhys shared that family photography is always challenging, especially when there are young children involved as they tend to have a shorter attention span and always do the unexpected. With the Alpha 7C, the autofocus and stabilisation features mean that even the most inexperienced photographers will be able to capture timeless family moments.