I thought I’d talk a little about ‘Don’t Do it Yourself family photography’.

‘But I own a really good camera….’ Owning a great camera makes one no more a professional photographer than owning an expensive fry pan makes one a professional chef.

Also true is the saying ‘you get what you pay for’. Sure you may find a bargain and only pay $150 for a set of 50 photos, but when you look at them could you have done just as good a job yourself?

I painted my own house. Did I do it cheaply? Sure did. Was it a good job? Absolutely not!

Is this you?

There is an art to good photography. Anyone can pick up a camera and snap some photos, and those great memories fill our phones. Would you ever print, enlarge and frame any of those though? Also, how often are you actually in those photos with your family?

Do you look through your phone and scroll through hundreds of photos of your family – minus you? Or the only time you feature in the family photo is when it’s a selfie where your head is so tilted back your chin blends in to your neck and you look slightly crazy? Having a family photography session means not only will you be included in the photos but your interactions and natural moments will be recorded for you to look back on and love until you’re old and grey. Who is going to regret that?

What a professional brings to the table

There’s something about family portrait photography that gives a really special feel to your photos. Composition, lighting, editing and the fact that the photographer has practiced producing the best family photography they can for years could have something to do with it.

Something to remember is what you shoot with is such a small part of what a professional photographer brings to the table. Whilst the smart phones of today allow you to take some really great photos, there is a lot of benefit to having your photos professionally taken. The difference becomes very obvious when compared side by side.

For example, I asked my wife to take a photo of our daughter with her phone and I also took a photo of my daughter at the same time with her sitting in the same position. As you can see below my wife is happy to admit she is no photographer 🙂 and the difference in quality speaks for itself.

You’re also able to avoid the stress of doing it yourself. For example, getting great family photos of your children is kind of like running the wrong way up an escalator. You’re working hard, but hardly getting anywhere. Hand the job over to an experienced family photographer whose job is to get the best out of your family and all of a sudden you have budding models.

What you’ll walk away with

You don’t need 30 photos of just you and your family smiling at the camera. The magic happens in the little moments you’re not even aware of. Choosing the right style of photographer will help you see this. Here are some of my favourite family session moments.

Your family are the most important people in your life. Time flies by and those little people running around don’t stay little for long. Memories really are priceless and if you’re going to have your beautiful family photos up on a wall to see every day then make them works of art.

Most important – Luckily for you, I’m here to help! 😉 Book in a Barley Monks session today by clicking here!