We were quite pleased to see the latest issue of Popular Photography, which featured an article by Peter Kolonia called “Friends & Family.” Not only did the article provide many helpful tips on taking compelling photos of loved ones, it featured seven Wonderful Machine photographers!
This issue had contributions from Joshua Drake (Charleston), Julien McRoberts (Santa Fe), Brent Clark (Raleigh), Todd Winters (Chicago), Dan Chung (Washington, DC), Jonathan Hanson (Baltimore), and Ron Wurzer (Seattle). All of their suggestions were practical and detailed, explaining the advantages of candid shots and giving tips on equipment and composition. Not only did these photographers contribute advice, many of them also had examples of images of their own friends and family, some of which you can see in the spread above. Here’s an example of some of the ideas our photographers explored:
Composing? “I like to show the space around my subjects,” says Dan Chung, who shoots for Washingtonian Magazine and operates a photo gallery in the metro DC area. “It reveals something of their character and what they value.”
Don’t lose your uncle or aunt in visual clutter, though. To prevent that, Chung is constantly in motion. “I compose with my feet and my back—tiptoeing, stooping, bending, and reaching,” he says. “I ask what’s important in a scene and what’s not, and then start walking, bobbing, and weaving to showcase my subject, and hide everything that distracts from it.”
It’s worth reading the article, if just so you can put together the best photo album ever this holiday season. But you also won’t want to miss these great example shots.