How to Take Your Own Family Photos as Per Camilla!!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

About a month ago, Camilla (and Darwin) did a blog in the Photography Group and gave us instructions about how to take your own family photo.  Camilla is a fabulous photographer and I knew if I followed her instructions to a T, I was going to get a great picture for our Christmas cards.  Now, technically I was supposed to be taking our pictures, but as some of you may recall, I have a photographer daughter that can be bribed and threatened into helping.  So, I guess you can say I followed Camilla’s instructions to a T, except for this one minor exception. 

 

Camilla advised us to have one of the subjects stand where you will be taking the photograph.  She said something about having someone hold up a broom, but I knew that was going to lead to some inappropriate comments like, “I thought we were supposed to be taking pictures. I didn’t know you were getting ready to go for a ride on your broom,” and I wanted to avoid that, so I put a stool there. 

We went ahead and hired a supermodel:

What Camilla forgot to include in her instructions were how to accommodate for a difference in height between mates. 

Now, this is adorable!

Well, thankfully, I had an old stool and was able to kill two birds with one stone and add a little to Camilla’s original instructions. 

Camilla, Don't forget about props to help some of those vertically challenged folks!

and with a little cropping in all the right places, WA-LA:

Next, she covered some stuff about manual and auto focus, but I didn’t know what the heck she was talking about since my daughter told me the A on my camera stood for addlebrained and that was the setting designed specifically for me to use on my new camera.

 

She also talked about using a remote, but I had my daughter, so I didn’t need that step either.  We did follow her last step and took a whole bunch of photos, and think we got some good ones.  I did mimic a little of what Camilla did so well in her photo shoot.

I  would like to add I hope Camilla’s husband was more cooperative than mine.  At one point, I was searching my purse for my lipstick and I said, “I just need a minute to find my lipstick to make myself stunning,” and John said, “I can honestly say people will be stunned when they see you with or without your lipstick.”

 

Camilla, thank you for the instructions and I hope you approve of the results.

Here are Camilla, her hubby, and Darwin's adorable legs and feet:

Now, here is our copycat version.  Camilla, Keep in mind not everyone has tiny feet and might not want their feet photographed.

This one we threw in to gross out the photographer!  Keep in mind this was BEFORE John said, "for a minute there, I didn't think those clown shoes were big enough."

And finally here is another photo we tried to copy....Loved this one:

However, our dogs were not as cooperative as sweet Darwin and I forgot the two people in our photograph were WAY older than Camilla and her husband.  In many of these pictures, we are moaning about our backs hurting and praying we will be able to get up when the photo shoot is over.

One of our models started to roll:

Give us a treat and nobody gets hurt:

Not gonna lie, we just got done saying, "why did we listen to Camilla?"

And finally after 180 pictures, we got one we all like:

well, maybe two:

Thanks, Camilla :)

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Oh and the photography, especially the last two, is exceptional. Good Job Haylee!

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

You live way too far from my house, I want to visit you every weekend. LOVE this blog!

[GBK]

Made me laugh out loud!!!!  Love the last 5, and the rolling doodle picture is just too much ;)

[Camilla and Darwin]

This post was hilarious! I love all of the photos!!! So glad my tutorial was not at all  very helpful for you. LOL

[Adina P]

LOVE those last two photos =)  You all look soooo cute and Vern is beaming =)  We do allow people in our DK Calendars now...so....

That first cropped one makes John look like he's got some long femurs.

[F, Calla & Luca]

180 is nothing. I have taken hundreds and hundreds for the you know what. Today alone I took well over a hundred.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Well aren't you two just stinkin cute and all romantic!!!  Must have been that relaxing cruise you were just on - LOL.  Lovin it!!!  Can I drive up with the boys and borrow your daughter?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Fabulous!!!! That is a great display of photos. The last of you two is wonderful. So is the next to the last. And the clown shoe smooch. And the step stool. Well I guess all of them : ) You are so lucky to have a DD like yours. And you and DH, F and V too, look so very stunning indeed.

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

I know you hear this a lot but I LOVE reading your blogs.  I read them to my husband and we are both laughing.  This one is great especially the one with the subject rolling as that happens around here a lot.  We really liked the ones about Vern's potty habits and absolute silence from a few months ago.  Our Tank must have absolute quiet and is very annoyed should a bird fly over or a car drive by when he's taking care of business.   Keep writing, they are a joy to read.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Sandy!!

Doris, I had so much fun with those clown shoes. We were all cracking up!! 180 pictures to get two we all like. Wow!!