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Stephen Walton
Photography is all about making memories of the places and people that mean the most to you. Father’s Day photography is the perfect opportunity to capture that spectacular photo that Dad will cherish for the rest of his life.
Do you want to show the main man in your life what a truly special father he is. We have the perfect ideas for you to try!
Like we have said before when photographing any type of subject it’s important you capture connections, whether that’s by taking candid shots, posed or even a time-lapse. Rather than simply sitting the family down and forcing them to shout ‘CHEEEEESEEEEEEE’.
Before you run and grab for the camera, let’s just take some time to prepare and think about what outcome you want to achieve?
Start by answering these questions…
1. What are your favourite memories with your Father?
2. What activities does he enjoy?
3. Does he have a particular style or look that is significant to him personality?
4. Is there anything unusual that can demonstrate your connection, such as a particularly special item or object?
Now here’s where Father’s Day photographs differ to the soft, feminine ones we focused on Mother’s Day. This doesn’t mean your shots can’t be filled with as much love and care, we just don’t think Dad will enjoy putting rollers in his hair and painting his nails.
If you want to earn some extra brownie points and give Dad a pre-prepared photo as a gift for Father’s Day. Here are 5 ideas you could try before the big day.
You might have seen similar ideas like this before, but they are grown to be absolute classics. If executed well these are often worth hanging up in the family home.
If you come from a large family then this the PERFECT idea for you. In theory what you’re doing is creating the word ‘DAD’ with people. You will need to get some height when taking these shots to make sure to can define the letter, rather than it looking like a jumbled up mess of bodies.
Ideally you’ll need 2 – 3 people to create the letters. You’ll need a bit of patience with this one and a lot of artistic direction. If you’re pulling your hair out because the children just don’t appreciate your artistic flow, why not try using some large wood letters cut out to spell ‘D A D’.
Once you have picked your backdrop and assessed the lighting set up your tripod or if you prefer just handhold your camera if that feels more comfortable.
When you give your child, the letter make sure you already have your camera to hand as it would be nice to capture some candid shots of the initial interaction…after all children do the funniest things.
These shots would work best outdoors or with a plain background, to make sure the letter is easily recognized. If your background is too busy it will distract attention away from the letter.
If you don’t have multiple children this can be done with one. Pose your child, maybe get them changed in different outfits for each letter if you want to go all out. If that seems like a lot of unnecessary stress why not use a chalk board?
If you’re feeling creative or fancy an activity to keep the kids occupied then why not try making signs for dad, speech bubbles for your children to hold up work really well.
Get some large cardboard and cut out your desired shape and decorate as you wish! Let the kids have fun with it!
Things you could write:
If you want to turn up the cute notch slightly then this might be the one for you! Dad is the hero of the family and all children want to be just like their Dad’s when they grow up. Give them a chance to see how it feels by dressing them in some of their dad’s clothes for a photo shoot.
If you have a toddler these shots really have the ‘awww’ effect. Grab a teddy bear and really tug at Daddy’s heartstrings.
One way to have the kids wish Dad a happy Father’s Day is to pose them sitting with their feet facing the camera. Write a simple message to Dad on the bottoms of their feet such as “We (heart) Dad”.
If you can get your children to sit still long enough, and you’re feeling brave. Why not get the pain pots out and create a collage of your children’s prints to give to Dad! Just don’t get paint on the carpet.
Of course, Dad is very proud of his whole family, so make sure you take some pictures that include the spouse with the children as well. Take a photo with Dad as the star of the show.
Try these ideas out:
1. If Dad is the chef of the family, capture him making pancakes or decorating cakes in the kitchen with the kids.
2. If it’s great weather where you are then maybe a family BBQ would be perfect to get some shots of the children helping Dad flip those burgers?!
3. Place lipstick lip prints all over Dad’s face and place him in the centre of the photo with a child on each side kissing each of his cheeks.
4. Catch Dad and the kids in the act by capturing silly moments as they play around in the Garden. If you have a GoPro then this is the perfect camera for capturing these action shots.
5. Capture that father and son bond with a shot of some fist-bumping action, capturing the side view of the fists and wrists only in the image.
6. If you want to capture some father-son moments, why not get the shaving foam out and get Dad to show ‘how to’.
7. After a long day of excitement try taking a photo of Dad reading a favourite bedtime story to the child or colouring a picture together while relaxing on the family room floor.
Don’t forget if you want to get the whole family in your Father’s Day photograph to use a timer. A remote shutter release or try time lapse for some more natural shots.
We hope we’ve spurred those creative brain cells for your Father’s Day photography!
However you choose to spend your day, remember to snap the occasion and share your images in our iPhotography members feedback gallery.
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