Coronavirus times have us all cooped up in our homes. Work-from-home, school-from-home, and chores-@-home have become the new normal. Juggling all these has put parents in a precarious position- super-busy and super-worked. But every cloud has a silver lining, and so do our #lockdownlives! Let’s get to know this silver lining and make the most of these lockdown times.
Why should you capture your lockdownliving?
We are moving away from our rushed, fast-paced lifestyles and spending more time with loved ones, doing things that truly matter! Whether it is putting your child to bed with a bedtime story or flitting through old family-albums and reliving nostalgia, lockdown has rekindled some positive ways of living! Indeed, these are extraordinary times, and that’s definitely worth preserving! This lockdown living shall pass soon, hopefully! But while it lasts, why not make use of this exclusive family-time, to create some beautiful lockdown memories? Maybe one day, we shall look back at these moments that brought us closer together as a family…
What should you capture for great home-made family memories?
Creating family memories is all about freezing the ‘moments that matter’. As a professional newborn, baby, maternity and family photographer, I always focus on the emotions, expressions and bonding of families. This is best done when they are at naturally at ease and comfortable. It makes for three photography opportunities:
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Theme-based/props-based candids: Specially curated themes/props help create “scenes”. Requires well-conceptualized, safe and tested props.
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Posed portraits: We apply extensive planning, styling, and posing techniques. Requires advanced posing and photography skills.
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Candid-style Lifestyle session: Capturing the extraordinaire in everyday living is all about spontaneity. Best done in the comfort of one’s home, and great for beginners! A lifestyle session doesn’t require special preparation or props, and it captures the core essence of your lockdownliving! So, you can capture these moments on-the-go, without any extra effort!
As rightly quoted by a famous photographer…
“We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us.”
— Ralph Hattersley
Creating precious memories to cherish for a lifetime is about getting artistic & adding profound meaning and value to each click!
Here’s how:
2.Understand light: Light is the building block of a great photograph- it makes or mars moods and subjects. Soft, gentle lighting creates a very soulful effect, while direct light creates depth & emotion. Natural window light is best for lifestyle sessions. Some tips to help you shape light:
a.Avoid using direct flash on little kids. If you must use flash indirectly bounce it off the wall or cover it with a thin white veil.
b.Create lighting situations such as one-sided light, back-light with subject in the window, pockets of light etc.
c.For bright, airy images, have the light source evenly in front of the subject
d.Create slits of light using curtains, and “focus” the light on the subject to add drama.
e.Use a net or sieve to create interesting ‘light patterns’.
f.Use white backgrounds/clothes to reflect light and create brightness. Use black backgrounds/clothes to absorb light and create deep, moody images.
3.Understand your subject: As parents, we know our kids inside-out: what they love, how they react, etc. Put that knowledge to use in creating photo-opps!
-Put on your baby’s favorite song to capture some groovy dance moves, or feed your child some lemon juice to capture those quirky expressions!
-Play and experiment with your child, you will get to know your kids much better!
4.Capture daily micro-stories: Our kids learn something new every day as they grow! Visually documenting this ‘learning journey’ makes for great storytelling.
-Involve your kids in household chores and get your child enrolled in online activity-sessions. Be ready with your photo-gear to capture kids as they participate and learn!
6.Get the details: Newborns will soon outgrow the “tiny phase”, capture this fleeting phase by clicking the tiny details such as toes, fingers, eyes etc.
-You may need special lenses to get the right focus here.
7.Plan an enjoyable family activity: Once in a while, get away from the seriousness of lockdown chores, and allocate some family playtime! Take out the dusty carrom-board or have a messy mango-eating session perfect for summers! This is sure to create some unforgettable lockdown memories!
Photography is both a science and an art, but most importantly, it is a creative medium for families to bond in a light manner!
Keep capturing these lockdown memories, and who knows, you may have an album full of cheerful keepsakes by the end of your lockdown lives.
#StayHome and #StaySafe while you create, explore and share!
