Guest Post | Capturing Family Connections With Rebecca Cooper (+ Giveaway)

In addition to the wonderful guest post below Rebecca is giving away 10 copies of her ebook. Please leave a comment to enter. Comments will be closed at 8pm Pacific tonight.


Hi everyone, my name is Rebecca Cooper. I'm a wife and a mother of four and I'm originally from Canada but our little family is currently living on an island in the Caribbean. I am a photographer, a scrapbooker and I have a blog where I write about our family's daily adventures, share photography tips, scrapbooking & crafting ideas and much more called simple as that.

I'm so excited to be joining Ali on her blog today and talking a little bit about something that I love a lot and that is, photography. More specifically photographing the people in my life that I love the most, my family.

With family gathering for the holidays our thoughts turn towards enjoying time with our loved ones, renewing special family bonds and celebrating the connections we have with each other. What better time could there be to grab your camera and set out capturing these special connections between loved ones. Today I'm going to share a few ideas on how to capture these meaningful photos and give you a few tools to capture those photos in any lighting situation.

5 Tips for Capturing Meaningful Connections:

1. Allow your subjects enough space. It's definitely harder to relax and be yourself when there is a camera in your face. Why not try taking a few steps back and allow your subjects to interact with each other rather than with you (the photographer) and see what happens. Consider using a zoom lens for this very purpose, allowing you to give your subject(s) some space but still giving you the feeling of being right there.


2. Your subjects are going need to get close. Now a little bit closer. Without the luxury of words the connection you set out to record with a photograph need to be visible. A hug, an arm around a shoulder, or simply a loving look. When I photograph my children I like to encourage them to 'snuggle up' or even sit facing each other nose to nose for a moment. This almost always guarantees a few giggles and a precious photo is never too far behind.

3. Have your camera readily available. Special moments of connection do not usually happen on demand so keep your camera handy. I keep mine in a kitchen cupboard where its safe from little hands but easy to grab in a hurry. You never know when that sibling rivalry will take a backseat to laughter and snuggles so don't miss that moment because your camera is inaccessible.


4. Learn to observe. Catching a moment of connection on camera is sometimes a practice in patience. Be ready to watch and wait for the moment to come to you instead of chasing after it and you'll be so pleased with the results. An un-posed, genuine moment of love expressed between two (or more) individuals priceless.


5. Know your camera. Boring, I know, but pull out that camera manual and get to know your camera inside and out so you won't miss capturing that special moment while you adjust settings, etc. Practice, practice, practice and soon enough you'll find that you can switch settings as needed without so much as having to look at a dial.

If you find yourself indoors trying to capture some of these meaningful relationships among your family members here are a few ideas that might come in handy:

1. Find as much light as you can. You'd be surprised how much of a difference opening up the curtains, the blinds or a door (if the weather allows) can make on the amount of light available in the space where you'll be taking photos. When possible shoot photos as close to one of these natural light sources as possible.

2. Change your camera settings - to compensate for less light try increasing your ISO. Read up in your camera manual (because every camera is different) and learn how to do this. When you change your ISO you are adjusting your camera's sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO the more sensitive it's going to be which is beneficial when you aren't working with a lot of light. Just be careful you don't set it too high because depending on your camera, higher ISO settings also mean an increased chance of grainy photos.

3. Switch to AV (or A) mode - you can also adjust the aperture on your camera to compensate in low light situations. Switch into AV (or A) mode where you can adjust the aperture and the camera will automatically take care of all the rest of the settings for you in order to achieve a properly exposed photo. Change the f-stop to a smaller number. The smaller number =  a wider aperture (the size of the opening inside your camera lens) and in turn allows more of what light is available to enter your camera.

4. Let go of high expectations - I personally would rather trade a slightly soft image that is naturally lit for a sharp image using flash 9 times out of 10. I prefer the more natural light. I like the mood it creates and the softness of it compared to a harsh, shadowy photo that can be the result of using flash. If you're working in low light just keep in mind sometimes it won't be possible not to use your flash and still get a super sharp photo - and sometimes that's just fine.

5. If you must use a flash - bouncing the flash off of a wall or other reflective surface. To 'bounce' the flash simply point the flash away from your subject towards a reflective object (could be a wall, the ceiling, a mirror, etc.) and the flash will bounce off of the reflective surface and light your subject. The result will be more ambient light created and a photo that doesn't look quite so shadowy as it would by pointing the flash directly at your subject(s).

I hope you've found these tips useful and are able to have some fun this holiday season as you set out capturing family connections with your camera. Enjoy the time with your loved ones and Happy Holidays everyone!


For more quick and easy to follow photography tips check out Rebecca's eBook 40 Top Tips for Better Photos from Ella Publishing. In addition you can follow Rebecca on Twitter or join her on Facebook.

Today Rebecca is generously giving away 10 copies of her ebook.

TO BE ENTERED into this giveaway please leave a comment below (if you are reading this post on Facebook please come to my blog to leave a comment). Comments will be closed at 8pm Pacific tonight (Monday) and the winners posted shortly after. Please be sure to check back or subscribe (click here to get posts delivered to your email box) to see if you are receiving one of the items this week. 

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680 thoughts

  1. Lourdes A. says…
    11/22/2010

    Love the tips! You mention things I hadn't heard before and will be sure to take into account. Gorgeous photos!

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. Anissa says…
    11/22/2010

    Thanks for the tips ! Love that photo with the girl kissing the baby ! ♥♥♥

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. DonnaNJ says…
    11/22/2010

    Thanks so much for the great tips.. I'll have a house full on Thursday and will be sure to put some of these to use.

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. GDevilla says…
    11/22/2010

    Thank you for all those wonderful tips...you are right about getting to know one's camera. I need to get my manual and read!!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. Denise B says…
    11/22/2010

    Thanks so much for the tips! I need to start playing with the settings on my cameras.

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. Delores says…
    11/22/2010

    Beautiful samples of photos!!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. Shauna says…
    11/22/2010

    Thanks for the tips, :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. Erin B says…
    11/22/2010

    great tips!!! thanks for the chance to win! Will have to pick this one up either way!

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Gina J. says…
    11/22/2010

    Great tips! I have been working on switching from automatic all the time! Thanks!

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. Shelley says…
    11/22/2010

    I can never get enough photography tips--thank you!

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. Carolyn says…
    11/22/2010

    I love Rebecca's photos!

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. carol in seattle :) says…
    11/22/2010

    Great tips! I can't wait to check out Rebecca's blog!

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Laura Gedeon says…
    11/22/2010

    Love the tips! Thanks!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Heather H. says…
    11/22/2010

    Wonderful giveaway! Rebecca's book Real.Life.Scrapbooking is one of my favorites. I'd love to have her e-book too! Thank you for the opportunity!

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Mary says…
    11/22/2010

    I'm new to photography and appreciate all the tips I can get - Thank you~!

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. JenRay says…
    11/22/2010

    Thanks for the tips and the giveaway. I set my ISO at 1600, nd use AV mode at about f/3.2, with every light on in the house, and still get too much blur this time of year. But this does remind me that I want to put a flash diffuser on my Christmas list!

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. Carolyn HP says…
    11/22/2010

    Love Ali's guests; great photo tips & love the chance of winning your e-book Rebecca; will definitely check out your blog!

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. Kristie Marcotte says…
    11/22/2010

    Thank you for the wonderful photography tips. I am always trying to take the best pictures of my kids.

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Johanna says…
    11/22/2010

    Awesome tips - thanks!

    Reply 0 Replies
  20. BethS says…
    11/22/2010

    Such great reminders as we enter a season full of family and friends.

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. Rebecca says…
    11/22/2010

    Thank you so much for these incredible tips!!! And thank you for the chance!! You rock!

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. Jess says…
    11/22/2010

    Thanks. I just got a slr and could use all the help I can get!

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. brandy messer says…
    11/22/2010

    love the tips and hope to put them to good use!

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. Jan B. says…
    11/22/2010

    Thanks for the chance to win this great giveaway - I'm in!

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. Karen says…
    11/22/2010

    I love it and I'm so excited for this holiday season!

    Reply 0 Replies

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