How to Get Photos of Family Events Without Missing the Party
It’s always lovely to look back at photos of loved ones – especially when friends and family get together for special events. However, if you’re the designated photographer, you can often find yourself missing out on the moment itself and not featuring in hardly any photo albums. Read on for some top tips on how to make sure you don’t miss out on those memory-making snaps…
Can Taking Photos Hanker Our Ability to Remember the Moment?
An article on Ted by tech podcaster, Manoush Zomorodi, @manoushz said: ‘People worldwide upload more than one billion images a day, preserving their memories to enjoy them in the future. But it turns out: all our photography may be obstructing our recall.’
The article goes on to highlight a study where art students had their memories tested about objects they had seen on a tour. The results? Overall, the students remembered fewer of the objects they had photographed versus the ones they had merely observed. They also couldn’t recall as many specific visual details of the photographed objects compared to the ones they had only looked at through their own eyes, rather than a lens.
With this in mind, how can you get photos of family events without missing out on the party and the memories?
Make a Shot List
This involves making a list of what you plan to capture before the big day arrives. Bounceback Parenting suggests that before the event takes place, try visualising what you want your photos to look like i.e., what group shots would you like to get? Is there a birthday girl or boy you’d like to get a portrait of? Perhaps one of the cake before it’s cut or during cutting? This way, you can focus on getting these main shots in early and then put down the camera and start to enjoy yourself.
Don’t Forget to Delegate
Instead of hogging the camera all day, why not pass it around for people to take their own shots and ask them to take some of you too? You could even have multiple cameras. Perhaps a Polaroid for guests to pass around and take selfies, plus a professional camera for taking pictures of the finer details.
Set Up a WhatsApp Group and Ask Family Members to Send Photos
You might be surprised by how many shots people have captured on their phones while at the event. By adding everyone to a group and asking them to send across all their snaps, you can then collate them and print them out for your photo album. You’re more likely to find ones of yourself this way too and that will help you to preserve and enjoy the memory of that moment.
We hope you find these tips useful and are able to find the right balance between taking great photos and enjoying the moment. Lifestyle photographer, Helen Bartlett, @Helen_Bartlett said: ‘Family photography is all about telling stories and having fun.’ We couldn’t agree more!