Summer is backyard gathering season. Are you ready to capture those memories?
Whether you are hosting or enjoying someone else’s backyard, you will want to remember this time. Photos help us to remember, not only events, but the emotions that go along with the gathering. I am not a photographer (but we will be talking with one soon, look for that interview early next month), but here are 5 tips I have learned.
Tip #1
The best camera to use is the one in your hand. So many of us keep our smart phone with us at all times, so use it to document the moment.
I don’t recommend this lightly. I am a firm believer that when we are gathering together, phones should be put away so everyone can stay present in the moment. Being present while gathering is all about making connections and forging bonds in relationships. That can’t happen when even one person at a family gathering has their nose in their phone.
That said, even simple gatherings or a day of fun in the yard is worth documenting.
Tip 2
Mix up candid and posed photos. If every photo is posed then they don’t tell the whole story of the event. You want your photo gallery to be rich in diversity. Take some posed, but get creative and take some less expected photos.
Candid photos take some practice. Getting someone in the air as they jump into the pool can be difficult, but so worth it. Keep clicking and you will get some good ones. That’s the genius of digital, it’s easy to delete the bad photos.
Tip 3
The photographer doesn’t need to be an adult. It can be fun to see what the kids focus on when they get to take photos. Let everyone have a turn at taking a few photos. This, again, will increase the diversity of your photo gallery.
Tip 4
You don’t need a big event to grab the camera. It can just be a day with you and the kids in the backyard playing, maybe swimming in the pool.
I know I love the photos I have of my own children when it was just the 3 of us playing in the pool. They were such hams, jumping in the pool over and over. It gave me plenty of time to practice my skill of capturing them in mid-air. Those photos are just as precious to me as the professional shots of the 4 of us posing for the camera.
Tip 5
Those photos you just took are great, but will be better categorized and put in an album. It can be either a physical album or digital. But doing it as soon as possible after your take the photos is best.
You will want to note the people in the photos, in case there is some extended family or friends. Doing it 20 years later makes it tough to remember every name with every face.
You can share albums and use them to look back on past traditions. I love looking at photos of my grandparents, long gone, but so happy at family gatherings.
I hope these tips help you enjoy your backyard fun, over and over again.
