How to Capture Your Family Adventures

You love heading out for family adventures but aren’t sure how to best capture those memories.

You’ve tried getting good photos of little Tommy running down the hiking path but it’s blurry or the sun is blowing everything out. You’ve tried and decided it’s not going to happen. You will never capture all those fun memories. 

Hopefully, this guide will help you build your confidence and get better photos of your adventures! 

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You won’t become an expert overnight. It does take time and practice to build up your skills. But I know if you practice, your photos will be amazing and you will be proud to show them off on Facebook to your friends and family!

Adventure photography falls under the travel genre but tends to capture outdoor action. Professional adventure photographers may take photos of rock climbing, skiing, or whitewater rafting where you are probably looking to capture your hikes, kayaking, or other family friendly activities.

Learn

The first thing you need to do is learn your equipment. If you are using your cell phone, get familiar with all the settings or different modes available. Practice around the house. If you want to capture action, like your kids, make sure to practice with them at home or even your pet. Kids and pets are always moving!

If you have a DSLR, mirrorless, or GoPro camera, pull up the guide online or search for youtube videos and really get to know the camera and what settings you may want to use. 

I would also suggest getting a tripod. I use a PlatyPod with a cell phone holder. This will allow you to get into the photos too!

Plan

This might be the most important step, the planning.

First, you will want to plan your family adventures. Pick where you want to go and what you want to do. Think about the where, when, and who. Start looking at other images and get ideas of what you want to capture. Put together a shot list. 

Tell

You want to tell a story. Pretend you are putting together a magazine story about your adventure. What would you show? Your “cover image” is the one image that will show where you are. Take a moment to look around and find what would best represent your story.

You can show the human experience of being surrounded by nature and beautiful scenery, the highs and lows of adventures. Because we all know there are lows, even on the best trips! The best way to do this is to show emotion. If your son is struggling to climb a large boulder, capture his intense concentration and once he conquers it, show how proud he is to have made it! 

If you are on a week-long camping trip, take the first couple of days to observe your surroundings and how your family interacts. Make a note of what you’ve observed and how you want to capture it. Be intentional. 

Tips

• Composition
  • Use leading lines. A hiking path is perfect for this!
  • Look for small details like a close up of a flower
  • Use trees or arches as a frame for your subject
  • Go high or low, don’t shoot at eye level. We are all used to that viewpoint
• Lighting
  • Know where the sun is, often times it’s best to have it behind you while shooting
  • You can also stand in the shade and shoot out, or have your subjects stand in shade. Experiment! You can preview on your camera. 
  • Don’t be discouraged by cloudy, overcast days. They are perfect for getting moody photos!
• Point of View
  • Use people to show scale. A person standing next to a redwood will show just how LARGE they really are!
  • Show your point of view to really put the audience there
    • The front of your kayak in water
    • Looking out the door of your tent
  • Try to capture a variety of perspectives. Shoot things wide and close up

Go on adventures, enjoy yourself, and take photos. 

What family adventures do you have planned? Will you put some of these ideas into practice on your next adventure? I’d love to know where you are going next!