8 TIPS TO DO A PROFESSIONAL FAMILY PHOTO AT ZERO COST

Photoshoot day! YAY! But, in reality, it was more of NAY than YAY! Thinking about all the preparation beforehand and the chaos on the day set. We both loves photography, we both have our own cameras, and we both loves capturing everyday moments of our family. But, it’s not always a good idea to take a family picture every single day, cause you know it may take all of our days or more perhaps. So, then we decided to do it once a while on special occasions. Like, VALENTINES DAY.

Here are some of my tips for taking a professional photo studio at zero cost:

INDOOR

Is always a better choice than an outdoor shoot, because you have more control over the environment. You don’t need to worry about the sudden weather changes, you can easily adjust the room temperature, limited space for the kids to explore, easy to get things done within reach, comfortable space for some break/rest & changing outfit.

PLAIN BACKGROUND

Always choose a plain background to give you more options for editing. Or otherwise, you can always post the photo directly without any editing required. Well, in my case white balances the shadow and highight the best.

LIGHTING

Make sure you have a good natural lighting, not too harsh, not too dark. Next to the window is the best spot you could choose for the shoot. Remember to turn off all other lights inside the room you’re shooting in as other light will contaminate the set. One last thing, you do not want direct sunlight hitting your set. Direct sunlight is harsh and looks bad on most people and products.

DRESSCODE & THEME PLANNING

I always make a dress code & theme plan for the whole family at least a week beforehand, so I may have some time to shop for related props and outfits needed for the day. And guess what?! It will save a lot of preparation time in the morning before the shoot begins.

TIMING

Choose the best timing for your kids to do the shoot. Make sure they’ve been fully fed, and not sleepy. Because cranky kids are the most terrible person to work with.

TRIPOD COMES HANDY

Since I started blogging, tripod is one of my essential equipment I would have on my hands and my car. IT IS our life saviour especially when you have NO ONE assisting or styling you.

SNACKS READY

Stored up some snacks/sugars on set. Because the kids will definitely need some of them during the shoot.

MENTAL READY

Let me tell you that doing the shoot with the whole family on frame looking incredible flawless requires a lot of efforts and tolerations. Out of 1000 shoots, you may or may not get 1 right. So, enjoy the whole process. There will be a lot of surprises from the shots which you will cherish for the years to come.