Photographing Families: Tips for Capturing Timeless Images / Michele Celentano

Almost all of the family portraits I create outdoors are planned around the sunset. Forty-five minutes before the sun goes down is the most beautiful light of the day, in my opinion. Seeking out open shade to place your subject is a great way to use the soft natural light of the late afternoon. In this image you can see the family has been placed in open shade but the sun is still direct and bright in the background. Notice that the boys on each end have their knees bent and their foot is pointed out. This is done on purpose to create a triangle base for the entire group. Creating shapes and lines in your group portraits is a great way to add visual interest. Using children to hide moms who feel uncomfortable about how they look is an easy way to camouflage her. Having the family in the same color focuses the attention on the faces of the family without clothes being a distraction. Since we were shooting in the desert I suggested brown for the color of the shirts knowing it would work well with the golden light and the desert colors. The Canon 5D Mark II and 70-200mm 2.8 IS was used to create this portrait. The aperture is f/4.0.

When you get the call about a family portrait with five children ranging in age from three to thirteen, the first thought that comes to mind is "chaos." These amazing children were all beautifully behaved and happy to be a part of their family portrait. I placed the oldest brother in the center of the image with his right foot on the track in order to create separation in his legs. This separation is the foundation on which this portrait is built on. I added the second oldest brother, also creating a separation between his feet. Adding in the sisters I brought the youngest and smallest sister to the front and finally added the youngest brother. I used the railroad tracks as the foreground and background creating leading lines. The tracks visually walk your eyes up to the most important part of the portrait. This image was created with the Canon 5D Mark II and the 70-200mm 2.8 IS lens with available light late in the day. My aperture is f/5.6 in order to have more of the image in focus.