Banish the Silly Simper and Death Stare of Doom forever! Anyone who’s tried to photograph their kids will know how maddening it can be. Here's how to stop the crazy faces. Find out my secret weapon in taking your phone photos to a whole new level - and once you've tried it, you'll wonder how you ever did without it.

1. www.donnagreenphotography.co.uk
5 secrets to taking
fabulous family
photos
Here are 5 great ways to
take great shots you love!
It can be
challenging and
frustrating, trying
to get even half
decent pictures of
your children . . .
banish the Silly Simper and Death Stare of Doom forever
even with your phone!

2. FOLLOW ME AT:
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4
DIFFERENT
LEVELS
© Donna Green Photography 2018 | All rights reserved
www.donnagreenphotography.co.uk
07749 068 204
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BURST
MODE
3 EYE EYE
SIMPLE
POSING
5
SECRET
WEAPON!¬
C O N T E N T S
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Anyone who’s tried to photograph her children will know how maddening it can be. If you ever
even manage to get them standing still for a moment, chances are they'll be pulling
crazy faces like the Silly Simper or the Death Stare of Doom.
But it can be done, and what's more, you can even do it with just your phone! Find out how ...

3. ON THEIR LEVEL
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Look at these two images of my girl. I took them from two very different
vantage points.
Which do you prefer? Which looks more interesting and less run of the
mill? And do you know why?
It's the one on the right, isn't it?
As you go about your daily life, how do you normally see your children?
No, I’m not talking about whether you think they’re little angels who can
do no wrong or little hellions who have aged you two decades in twelve
months.
1 . O N T H E I R L E V E L

4. If you want something a little different,
a little more eye-catching,
get down on their level
Or whether you see the wee guy as the next Elon Musk or your girl as
Scotland’s next answer to Angela Merkel. How do they LOOK to you?
Normally, as you’re way taller than they are, you look down on them. The tops
of their heads are very familiar. The angles of their faces as they look up at you
are an every day sight - nothing new there.
Go for something different
Look through the camera roll of your phone and I can guarantee the majority
of the photographs you’ve taken of your kids were taken with you standing the
way you normally stand, and them doing the thing they normally do.
Yes, these shots from your normal standing position may elicit a smiling
“awwww” from Granny, but really, is there anything different about them?
Anything that will make Granny stop in her tracks and say “oh!”? Anything that
you can post on Instagram which will get more little red hearts than normal?
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Instantly you’ve got something looking a lot more interesting. Something that
stands out. Often with the added bonus of a “what the hell?!” look on your
child’s face as he suddenly realises what the top of YOUR head looks like.
Just don’t expect him to feel guilty about the number of grey hairs he sees
there, is all.

5. When I photograph you and
your family ...
I make absolutely sure I have a variety of images taken from lots of different
angles, so when I put them together in a collection to show you, it's so much
more eye-catching than a load of shots where the photographer hasn't even
moved.
When you book me, after all, you want something out of the ordinary don't
you? Well one "ordinary" is looking down on your child from normal adult
standing height.
I am quite happy to throw myself down in the mud to get that captivating
shot at that perfect angle ... Just don't expect me to show up for our session
in a posh frock though, okay?
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Yes, I was flat on my front in the mud.
Yes, she was absolutely worth it!

6. BURST MODE
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3
Two immutable laws of this life*:
2 . B U R S T M O D E
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Children are constantly moving
It's often impossible to get them to do what you want them to do
* Please oh please don't tell me this isn't true or you'll alter my fundamental
understanding of the universe
And THEY KNOW when you're trying to get action shots of them running
around, don't they? They just try to run faster.
To foil them, you need to find the burst mode on your phone camera. On
iPhones and Samsung Galaxy S phones, just hold down the shutter button
and pfffft, your phone memory's filled up before you know it. So be a WEE
bit cautious with this!

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3
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What actually IS burst mode?
Several photos are captured in very quick succession by either pressing the
shutter button or holding it down. For example, my phone takes up to 30
photos (in about 3-4 seconds) continuously in one shot.
Example, please?
It's what you find in your phone's photo gallery
when you see 175 shots in a row of your little
girl's face, all pointing up her nose and looking
almost the same.
Bonus points if she's got a mouthful of raw carrot
at the same time which is in distinct danger of
falling out.
Jackpot if she videos herself too.
<--- I win! She did!

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When would you use burst mode?
When you're photographing something fast moving. Chances are, a fair
few won't come out very well, but with burst mode, you can just go
straight into your phone gallery, identify the keepers, then bin the rest.
Another idea:
If you ask someone else to take YOUR picture and you're a bit vain,
*cough*, ask the person to hold down the shutter button in burst
mode. It's very likely there will be at least one image you're happy(ish)
with!
When I photograph you and
your family ...
I sometimes use burst mode on my "big camera" when children are
running and leaping towards me at full tilt, particularly if they're facing
me.
Taking a succession of shots very, very quickly ensures that there if the
person in it has eyes shut at any point or is pulling a peculiar face, I
have plenty of other shots to choose from so I can give you the very
best one.
Mid air jump - tricky to
time just right so her
legs were just right -
burst mode gave me
plenty of shots from
which to select exactly
the right one

9. EYE EYE!
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This is a really simple one.
Zero in on the eyes when taking pictures of
people. Make them the first thing the viewer's
eyes hone in on.
When you look at a person, it's most likely the
very first thing you notice is the eyes - it's just
what humans do. We even do this with pets and
other animals.
Beautiful eyes can make the dullest photograph
mesermising and create an incredible connection
between the person looking at the image and the
person in it.
3 . E Y E E Y E !
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10. When I photograph you and
your family ...
As well as giving you lots of action shots and images of people looking at and
interacting with each other, I know that you'll probably want at least one
beautiful photograph of your child looking straight out of the photograph
right into your own eyes as you view it.
This can sometimes be quite an intense connection and is one which you will
be glad you chose to have captured.
Your children's faces change over the years, and it's compelling to see on your
walls what they used to look like and compare it to how they look now.
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"The countenance is the
portrait of the soul, and
the eyes mark its
intentions"
- Marcus Tullius Cicero

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SIMPLE POSING
4 . S I M P L E P O S I N G
So this one COMPLETELY depends on the ages your children are. The idea of
trying to pose a 2 year old is clearly insane, but once they get a little older, it can
be done.
IF IT BENDS, BEND IT
IF IT CURVES, CURVE IT
IF IT TWISTS, TWIST IT
See the way the boy's arms are rougly parallel here, but are very relaxed and
curved looking? Every line of his body is in harmony with the others.
And the wee girl's head tilt really complements her cheeky smile, while the angle
of her right forearm mirrors the lines of her head and shoulder.
Don't overthink this one as children can get away with a lot more than adults
when it comes to posing!

12. When I photograph you and
your family ...
My job is to make you and your family look natural and relaxed, definitely not
stiff or awkward. Many of my clients worry beforehand about "having to"
pose, yet afterwards they forgot they'd even had concerns about it!
My advice is always the same. Just be yourself! Interacting, laughing and just
generally messing about together produce beautiful photos that you will feel
a connection with forever.
Sometimes I might direct you to get everyone’s face in the shot and some
images will be loosely posed, although very naturally so you look your best.
But don’t worry about this – I’ll show you exactly what to do.
And guess what? You'll love seeing your family photographs on your walls -
every time you glance at them you'll be reminded of what's important in life.
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Family groups in
particular sometimes
need a little
direction, but it's
always relaxed!

13. 0
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0213
It's free. On Android and iPhone. It's fabulous. And it blows
Instagram's filters and editing capabilities out of the water.
SECRET WEAPON
I have a confession. I have a secret
weapon.
<-------- It's this phone app.
And I NEVER post a phone photo ANYWHERE
without editing it in Snapseed first. (Sssshh!)
5 . S E C R E T W E A P O N
1) Controls to increase or reduce saturation in images (strength of the colours)
2) A healing brush which can remove unwanted objects in the picture
3) Loads of filters to do things like add creative lighting effects, vignettes,
creative photo frames, textures, and myriad lighting effects
4) Tools for rotating images, correcting squint horizons, warping perspective
5) All the expected basic stuff like lightening, darkening, sharpening etc
Amongst other things, it has ...

14. Example, please?
But of course. Let me show you some examples of phone photos I've taken
then edited in Snapseed.
(I know. I said I NEVER post unedited photos. This is ABSOLUTELY A SECRET,
right?!)
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My wee girl playing shinty, on 1 January, in Kingussie, and yes, that is snow.
And yes there was a real shinty game on just before I took this. IN SNOW.
Dark, right? But a bit of tinkering in Snapseed and this image now shows her
in so much more detail. When she's older and is a top women's shinty player,
she'll love to look back on this. (No pressure on her, honest!)

15. 15
The difference is perhaps a wee bit more subtle here, but the original picture
straight out of my phone camera was kind of dull - it matched the day, really!
But I loved the feeling of this image, with the zig-zag path leading right into it
and the sun rising on the right.
So I just brightened it up a bit overall and then lightened up the foreground,
and made the colours that bit stronger.
It looks just that bit prettier now doesn't it?
You don't need to go mental with it all!
Unless you want to of course! The key is to experiment and see what kind of
effects you like best.

16. When I photograph you and
your family ...
I don't actually use Snapseed.
I use industry standard professional editing tools from Adobe: Photoshop and
Lightroom. And the "big camera", of course!
Part of my secret sauce of editing is transforming photographs like this:
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Confession:
Even professional photographers screw up shots at times.
I was really quite disappointed when I saw this original as it was just too
dark. However, I loved the feel and expression of it so didn't want to bin it.
Because I've put a LOT of time into making sure I'm an expert at using
professional editing tools, I managed to make a beautiful black and white
version of it.

17. 2017
I F Y O U ' R E R E A D Y T O
T A K E I T F U R T H E R ,
W H Y N O T B O O K Y O U R
F A M I L Y P O R T R A I T
S E S S I O N N O W ?
www.donnagreenphotography.co.uk
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Donna Green Photography
dg@donnagreenphotography.co.uk
07749 068 204
Get in touch with me
and let's plan beautiful,
custom artwork to make
you slow down and
smile now, later
becoming heirlooms to
hand down, your legacy
which connects the
generations.
Let me give you reminders
of the good times
together,
the deep connection and
love you share as a
family,
so often lost in the daily
grind.
Stop for a moment, slow
down, take yourself
back to those moments
of love and fun you see
immortalised
in print, on your walls.

18. 2017L E T M E S E E W H A T Y O U C R E A T E !
If you've found any of these tips helpful, I'd love you to share your creations
on my Facebook page, so we can all be inspired!
And if you found this guide useful, please share it with your friends.
www.donnagreenphotography.co.uk
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FOLLOW ME AT:
© Donna Green Photography 2019 | All rights reserved
07749 068 204
dg@donnagreenphotography.co.uk