Linn has sent in this picture that I take to be her daughter in a garden. She is sitting on a raised bed of flowers, the photo was obviously taken at night and though difficult to see there is a building behind with a light on (showing in the top right of the pic). There [...]
This month’s winner is pic No 3 of Sandy. Going in to the lead right from the start, he always looked the likely favourite, polling nearly twice as many votes as the runner-up Isabella at No 6. Both were very smiley photos so it looks like happy pics are the order of the day. Emily [...]
Claire has sent me in this lovely photo of her son Bruno. I do like pictures of children that are engrossed in play, where the camera is merely recording a moment rather than spoiling it, as happens when you ask the subject to smile for the camera. Even worse is when the poor child is [...]
Andy has sent me two pics, one of his boys and one of his daughter. I am going to look at the one of his sons and pick out the visual clues that help us ‘read’ a photograph. The mind picks up on these clues, often subconsciously, and helps us create a story that makes [...]
Alex has sent me in two of her favourite photographs of her daughter Isabella. Both are very nice pics, showing the similar subject of Isabella reading but I think that one works better as an image than the other. The first photograph shows Isabella sitting on a couch, flicking through a magazine and holding a [...]
The June competition was an extremely close thing. Aiden led from the start but Charlotte and Beth were never more than a vote or two behind until the closing hours. Aiden then pulled ahead to win by four votes, ahead of Beth who was also four votes ahead of Charlotte. The final results were: Aiden [...]
This is a lovely ‘story’ photo. The name tags on Finn and his mum tell you that they have just got home from the hospital and I really like the protective way the baby is being held. Finn’s dad took this under mum’s direction, obviously from a high viewpoint, which gives an original and striking [...]
Hi Ken – I like this photo of my daughter but what could I have done to make it better? Carol. Well Carol, I’m afraid that this photo suffers from some of the problems that affect many family snaps. To start with the first thing that you should do is turn off the date stamp [...]
This is a lovely photo Eilidh, a cute subject in a wonderful setting. I always like pictures of children that look lost in their own little world. Callan taken by Eilidh The composition in this picture is very strong with the contrast between the close up of Callan in the grass and the rolling, heather [...]
This is the first in what I hope will be a long running series of tips on how to help you take better photographs of your children. Post your favourite family pic (or one you feel isn’t quite successful and would like to know why) on my Facebook page and I will pick out the [...]
Ken Sharp is a family photographer who creates classic, natural family portraits for clients in London and Glasgow. Follow Ken's blog for regular news, competitions and portrait photography tips.
