When such a photograph is taken it is always best to let a professional photographer take the picture. After all it is not everyday that you can get all of the family members at one time to stand for a picture. So when the time comes you need to take advantage of it in the best way possible. The following is some ideas regarding getting a good picture taken with all of the family members present.

Fist thing that should be done is look for a photographer that can do professional quality pictures. This may sound like an expensive venture, but remember you are looking to do a great quality picture that will last a long time. Prices do vary according to the level of experience of the photographer, but it should not be too difficult to find somebody who is not too expensive to hire. Most photo sessions will last for about an hour. As a general rule the better the studio the better the photographer will be and you will more likely get the picture quality you have in mind.

Once a photographer has been decided, the next step is to discuss with family members as to what type of pictures should be taken. High key photos will involve using white as a background and low key pictures are taken with moody type lighting and soft demure colors. Other types of pictures include out door family portrait photography or pictures of family involved in outdoor activity such as eating, playing croquet etc. If you would like more ideas on photographic settings then the photographer will have ideas to give. They will usually let you look at their portfolio of previous photo sessions to give a good idea.

After all of the pictures are taken the next thing to do is decide how you would like to keep the pictures. Some people like to put pictures in a wooden frame and others like to keep the photos as a series of pictures in an album. Deciding on how to display the photos is also an activity in itself and family members can get together and decide on what would be the best idea.

About The Author:
Elliott Nash is a Brisbane photographer based in the beautiful Gold Coast, Australia. He is the author of the Gold Coast Photographer.

Learning from the old masters
The Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn used painting techniques suggesting ambient light rendering shadows and highlights which created the illusion of a three dimensional portrait. Filmmakers and photographers have picked up on this technique and applied it to portraiture and scene lighting.

A host of work to analyze
Examples of this can clearly be seen in Rembrandt van Rijn’s work, which include his many self portraits, A Polish Nobleman, Atemisia, Portrait Of An Old Man In Red and a host of others.

Nothing without light
Once the new digital photographer has eventually got to grips with the plethora of equipment that add to the photographic experience, he or she can delve into the exiting world of portraiture and lighting. Photography does not exist without lighting. Rembrandt lighting has become infused as a lighting technique alongside broad portrait lighting, short portrait lighting, split portrait lighting and butterfly portrait lighting.

Similar Technique
Rembrandt lighting is similar to short or broad lighting where the key light is placed on the narrow or broad side of the face leaving one section of the face in shadow. Imagine your subject facing directly towards the camera with the key light placed right of the camera, more to the side of the subject and above the head. The subject turns towards the light creating a shadow on the other side of the face. The shadow can be placed on the opposite side by the subject turning away from the key light. This simple technique is enough to create some interest in the portrait and is generally a food starting point.

The essential difference
The difference between these lighting techniques and Rembrandt lighting is in the nose shadow. The key light must be placed in a critical position in relation to the subject and the camera so that the nose shadow connects with the large shadow on the same side of the face. This must result in a triangle of light under the eye, Rembrandt’s signature in his portraits. The contrast created can be reduced using a fill light with the desired intensity placed on the shadow side of the face or on the camera axis towards the subject.

Dramatic results
This lighting style is linked to chiaroscuro lighting where shadow and light are used to sculpture the subject. The effect is dramatic and lends itself to rugged portraits mainly suited to men. Rembrandt implied natural ambient lighting which seemed to favor harsh sunlight or fire sourced light as used in The Night Watch painting. If extended to broader subjects showing location, the low key technique of Rembrandt and chiaroscuro produce dramatic results that have also been exploited by the film industry. This can be seen in old films like The Hunchback of Notre Dame. However, in modern photography and movies softer lighting sources are used while still maintaining the Rembrandt triangle under the eye.

Legacy
There is no doubt that Rembrandts legacy exists in the creative lighting techniques developed and employed by the modern photographer and filmmaker to create depth in these essentially flat mediums.

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