DIY; Family Photo's the Thrifty Way!

I am no professional photographer. I never took any course's or degree's or claim to be one of these self proclaimed photographers. I have, however, taken many hours to read about capturing the perfect photo, and am blessed with a beauty of a camera and have what some would call "An eye".
The frustrating part about being able to take beautiful photos of my own children is that, unfortunately, I cannot be behind the camera while taking photos with myself in them, and naturally, I just can't seem to fork over the dough! So today, I asked my wonderful young niece to point and click for us. She did an amazing job, and I am thrilled with how they turned out! It's been over 3 years since our last family photo shoot (I know, shame on me...) so I am eagerly awaiting to hang them nicely on our walls!
So if you are really wanting some new photos for your wall, but simply cannot afford to hire the best of the best (which is completely worth it if they are truly amazing photographers) here are a few tips that I have found useful on my short photography journey!

1.) Having a good camera is a good start. Having an amazing camera is even better! I was blessed that my husbands company purchased a very good camera. (A Canon EOS 50D to be exact) I joke that the camera does all the work, lol! I have seen some photographers use a Canon Rebel though and take gorgeous photos, so that being said, you do not need to drop $2,000 + to get in the game. Just make sure it isn't a cheapo and remember that investing in a decent camera will be well worth it for all those photos you will take of your kids for pretty much the rest of their lives!

2.) The best time to take photo's is just after sunrise OR 1 hour before sunset. I read this online somewhere and it has proven to be true! Every time I stick to the 1 hour before sunset rule, I get amazing results. Perfect. Lighting.

3.) Shoot, shoot, shoot! Do not be afraid to be trigger happy. I would always be more satisfied if I came home with 500 pictures and got 1 amazing shot than if I came home with only 100 and no decent shots. At the end of the day you will spend time looking at 50 photos of just one pose and be lucky if you have 1-2 amazing shots! True story.

That being said...

4.) Always be ready to click! You never know when you might get that shot of your kid(s) acting silly and normal that you will treasure forever. It only takes a split second to capture the photo or loose it completely.

5.) Take time to browse online at some of your favourite photographers photos. Get an idea of what poses will work and what wont work. Most likely you will find exactly the type of photos you would love to get of your own family.

6.) Make sure your kiddo's are happy, if that means making them nap that day, OR bring some candy to bribe them, and something/someone funny to keep them smiling!

7.) Have a plan of what you want. I knew I wanted a good photo of all of us together, a good photo of each of my boys alone and one of them together, a good photo of my husband and I, and a good photo of our boys, with each of us. Mission COMPLETE!

8.) And if you want to be in the photos too, grab your favourite family member who is willing to put up with your crazy family for an hour or two and give them these tips to follow!

9.) I use photoshop to edit all my photos, courtesy of my husbands company, but if you do not own it, you can usually find a freebie online to download somewhere. I recommend purchasing photoshop because you can download a TON of free actions to help make your photos look professional and you can find very easy to follow tutorials online. (Which is how I learn when my husband is unavailable!)
Lightbox Download
Try Photoshop Free

Excuse the ugly watermarks. Can you blame a girl when her kids are just so dang cute?! Haha. I hope everyone is enjoying our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. Happy turkey day!