My Dear Mom – Mother’s Day Special

A Super Quick Guide By Kent DuFault

Using our cameras to record family, our history, our life is one of the greatest possibilities for our hobby.

Yet, it seems to be somewhat of a dying art.

Photo by: sakura

This family snapshot, from 1970, of a young mother and her daughter is reminiscent of what cameras were primarily used for in a previous era.

The modern DSLR camera, and the smartphone, seems to have turned many a photographer’s attention to subjects outside of their normal life. (Excluding the “selfie” that is…)

With Mother’s Day approaching, I would like to offer you a challenge.

Use this Mother’s Day to create a unique image of your mom. If you would normally set up a very controlled portrait, do something candid. If you would normally just take a quick snapshot, design a photograph specific for the day.

Use this task to create (and capture) an emotion that you, your mom, and your kids will cherish forever.

In order to jumpstart your creative process, let’s look at some photographs of mothers, and see if we can help you generate some ideas.

Photo by: Irelynkiss

One of the key ingredients to capturing a unique, candid, moment of mom- is to be ready!

When things are moving quickly on Mother’s Day, how can you be ready?

• Make sure all of your batteries (camera and flash) are fully charged.
• Format your memory card, or make sure there’s plenty of space left on the card.
• Set your capture format to RAW (if you have that capability) or the highest quality .JPEG (or capture both).
• Set your metering pattern to center-weight or spot (you don’t want background elements throwing off your exposure).
• Set your shooting mode to aperture priority or shutter priority depending on your situation and preference.
• Set your drive mode to “continuous” low or high depending on your preference.
• If you are using a portable external electronic flash, turn it on and set it to TTL (ETTL if your gear supports it)(Remember to allow for recycle time if using the flash).
• Set your ISO to 400 (This is a good versatile ISO for indoors and outdoors).
• Set your focus mode to single-shot or continuous depending on your preference.
• Set your focus pattern to either the full matrix or center-weight depending on your preference.

With these settings, you should be ready for just about any situation that Mother’s Day might offer.

Now, it’s time to hunt for the photograph! Let’s look at some examples.

Using props is a great way to get your subject’s to relax. If you’re photographing Mom with other people, use a composition of triangles when setting up the shot.

Photo by es1123

To create this Mother’s Day memory, the photographer utilized the swing as a prop. It served several purposes. It provided visual interest. It got mom down closer to the height of her sons (in a natural way). It also helped Mom to keep the boys close, and engaged in the activity.

When posing multiple people for a photograph, try and position them so that the heads form a triangle. This creates a pleasing composition.

Photo by Suzi Duke

You can even use triangle posing when you have very little time and multiple subjects. Even if you use just this one technique, it will improve your Mother’s Day photographs.

When thinking about your Mother’s Day project it could be something as simple as being ready to capture the right moment, or you could make it a carefully planned fine art idea.

Photo by Matt Baume

Capturing the perfect “spur of the moment” means being ready and vigilant. Keep your eye on the lighting and changing conditions. When people come together for a celebration the perfect moment can happen fast.

Photo by Kelly

If you decide to create a “fine art” moment for your Mother’s Day photograph, try to think of a unique way to illustrate the concept of “mother”. This image is a perfect example. All we see of mom is her feminine hand. The wedding ring, and the child’s cuddling, all say “Mom” in a unique way.

A common mistake made by photographers doing “family event” type photographs, is not getting close enough. Sometimes the background can help add a storytelling element- but for the most part- faces and expressions are the important feature – (especially to Mom!)

Photo by Gabriel González

A photograph such as this one is too far way for Mom to enjoy the faces of her children. Remember to get close and elicit interaction between everyone in the photograph.

If we get in close, what else can we do to make our Mother’s Day photograph more intimate and special?

• Add the children
• Add storytelling props
• Add a special location

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim

The photographer included the child and a prop. They also definitely captured some nice emotion. What could have improved this photograph? A slightly different angle might have vastly improved the image. By moving the camera vantage point- the photographer might have eliminated some of the distracting background. Do you think it hurts this image that the little girl isn’t looking at the camera? I think it helps the shot. She clearly has a happy expression. Yet, by not looking into the camera, it directs the viewer more toward Mom.

Photo by Loren Kerns

Here’s another image that has approximately the same framing as the photo above. But here, the photographer chose to have both Mother and Daughter focus on the child’s handmade gift. Wonderful emotion is displayed here. Both this image, and the previous one, has their merits: yet, they both tell a distinctly different story.

So far, we have some excellent ideas on how you might easily improve your Mother’s Day photographs.

What else should you consider? The background! A simple choice of background can make or break your image. No matter how good Mom looks, or how wonderful her expression is, a pole coming out of her head is very distracting. Always be alert to the background. Many times a simple move of only a few feet can make a huge difference.

Let’s look at two examples: one that works and one that doesn’t.

Photo by Mark Baylor

This Mother’s Day portrait has captured a beautiful mom, with a beautiful smile. So, what’s wrong with it? What prevents it from being an image that someone might want to hang on the wall? The background! It’s pretty distracting with that electrical cord and electronics right behind her head. Remember, frame your subject close and watch the background.

Photo by PV KS

This candid “Mom” moment is a head and shoulders shot just like the image above. It also has a sweet and memorable expression. The clean unobstructed background is big plus for this photograph. It forces our eyes right to Mom. We previously talked about clean uncluttered backgrounds. Another factor that can make your image pop, is the background color. A complementary color versus a neutral color can help add to your composition.

If you enjoy creating candid photography, perhaps your mom, or wife, would like to have an intimate portrait printed and displayed in a small frame on her nightstand?

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim

An intimate moment like this “breakfast in bed” shot, can be a memorable moment for a mom. A moment like this can be framed as a memento for years to come.

Photography is all about being prepared, having some forethought, and the ability to make decisions quickly. Moms, and their kids, are busy. They’re not going to sit still for long for a photograph.

A great way to utilize this Super Quick Guide (as a learning tool) is to write down each learning point and think about them in the days leading up to your Mother’s Day photo shoot.

If you can pre-plan some of the elements of your shot, then those can be checked off your list.

So far we have…

• Be ready.
• Decide on a posed shot or a candid shot.
• Compose in triangles.
• Stay close.
• Add props or a special location.
• Highlight intimate moments.

What else might you consider? How about framing?

While it’s true that cropping can assist with framing. Getting your image “right” in camera gives you more options on what you can do with it later.

Photo by ecooper99

This photographer achieved decent lighting, a good pose, excellent expressions, a clean uncluttered background- so what’s wrong? The framing is off. Both Mother and child are off-center, which creates a feeling of them almost falling off the page. It also creates a “dead space” on the right. A trick that many photographers use is what I call, “The Final Scan”. Right before you take your picture- force your eye to look around the edges of the viewfinder. Does anything look off? By doing this you take your mind off of the subjects, and their expressions, and you will spot other problems in the frame. It slows you down for a moment.

If your mom likes to laugh and have fun, by all means introduce humor into your photo shoot. Nothing makes a person more relaxed (and more real) than laughter.

You might find a funny situation that is simply developing, or you might create the situation. Just be ready to capture peak action!

Photo by Christ’s Place

A couple of well placed kisses, and some hugs, caused this mom to light up. Perhaps, you could create a list of ideas on how you might surprise your subject? Give her something to smile about: something that she hadn’t expected…

Photo by martinak15

When you see an image like this, you know this is a special mother and daughter relationship. How can you say something special about your subject?

In closing, don’t forget about future moms!

Photo by Kristie Wood

This new mom will cherish this image for the rest of her life.

Have a happy Mother’s Day!