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THEAPPRENTICE
EXPERT INSIGHT
FOLLOW THE LEADER
KIDS WILL be kids and just want to run around – so let them! You can get
some fantastic impromptu shots when they’re running around, climbing trees,
s w i n g i n g f ro m t h e b r a n c h e s a n d j u s t ge n e r a l l y h av i n g f u n. S h o ot p h oto s w i t h
them leading the way and going where they want to go and you’ll soon win
them over. After this you’ll find it much easier to round them up for family group
photographs later on. You just need to strike the right balance between fun and
posed shots – the last thing you want is bored, irritable children.TECHNIQUE
ASSESSMENT
Catherine gave Louis some pointers on how to
set up his camera for perfect family portraits
GO INTO MANUAL
MODE FOR
CONSISTENT
EXPOSURES
CATHERINE mostly
works in Manual mode on
her Canon 5D Mark III. This means that she gets
consistent exposures during a shoot, even when the
background or clothing changes. She checks her
pictures on the back of the camera regularly to
make sure they’re correctly exposed and sharp. She
also shoots in the Raw format to give her that extra
editing flexibility with the exposure and white
balance back at her computer.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT
FOCUS MODE
SETTING the right focus
mode will depend on
whether the kids are
moving or staying still in a
group shot. If they’re moving about a lot Catherine
uses AI Servo to continuously focus on them, but if
they’re relatively still then she’ll switch over to the
One Shot mode. In this mode the camera focuses
just once when you half-press the shutter.
TOP GEAR #
5D Mark IIICATHERINE’S 5D Mark III
body is still going strong
after many years of service
and remains employed as
her primary body on shoots.
The full-frame sensor gives a
great depth-of-field and its
resolution of 22.3Mp is
perfect for family photos- the larger resolution from
newer models would fill
memory cards faster too.
She’d rather put the money
towards better L-series
optics until her current 5D
body bites the dust.
GET LOW SO YOU’RE EYE LEVEL
FAMILY portraits generally look better when shot at
eye-level, so you’re not looking down or up at your subject.
This might mean you have to get down on one knee, or lie
prone on the ground to get the shot – it’s a good idea to
wear clothes you don’t mind getting a little dirty on these
kind of shoots... Shooting at eye-level will make the
background further away too which makes it easier to throw
it into a pleasing blur when using a wide aperture like f/1.8.