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Everybody knows that the best pictures are the ones that tell a story or spark the imagination of the person looking at it. I was reading the introduction to Annie Liebovitz’s book A Photographer’s Life: 1990-2005, when I noticed her talking about family portraits. How everyone were always supposed to smile in them, which she felt was odd. I’ve always felt the same way, that in the long run, pictures that are honest have a much greater value. After all, if you were looking at pictures of long gone relatives, wouldn’t you rather see them as they were? I would, although as I mention later, I’m also all for bending the rules from time to time.

So, I started thinking about some ideas and experiences of my own, about how to better incorporate real stories into pictures of friends and family, without ending up with an endless string of bad snapshots:

1. Plan around people’s habits

The best and most intimate portraits always show the subjects relaxed and at ease in front of the camera. If you know their habits, you can catch them in a moment that is completely them. If your mom always takes an afternoon nap in the recliner with the television runnning, go ahead and shoot that. But don’t just point your camera at her and fire off that built-in flash (waking her up in the process). Get the blue light from the tv to light up her face by using a long shutterspeed. Make sure you get close enough to catch the peaceful expression, but we also want to see the recliner in there. In other words - know your subjects and utilize that knowledge to plan some shots.

2. Get them used to the camera

If you’re with the family, perhaps doing dishes after dinner, go ahead and shoot some snapshots in the middle of whatever conversation is going on. Or when you’re down at Blockbuster with your friends, trying to pick out a movie, shoot them as they argue over the best choice. They will find it strange at first, maybe even annoying, but they’ll get over that after a while - and that’s when they relax and you can get the good stuff.

3. Visit them at work

Whether your dad is a vet or a blacksmith, it’ll make for awesome photography to see him in his element. Make sure that you’re allowed to take pictures at the workplace first, and then do it several times over a short period. Plan it out, so that you’ll be stopping by maybe once or twice a week over a month or two, so even the co-workers will get used to you being there. Be considerate and don’t get in people’s way - bring a good zoom lens.

4. Do a group session and tell stories

An example of how to do a casual session in an unnatural environment: Arrange to have all your closest friends (or siblings or whatever) show up at your place. Tell them to dress in clean, but otherwise ordinary clothes. Set up a background or set and have them take a seat in front of the camera, one at a time, and have everyone else stand behind you. As the others look and listen, have the model tell everyone about an experience you and the model once shared. This will get you some great expressions, and the nervousness will be replaced by everyone wanting to go next. The point is to do something fun that will take everyone’s mind off the posing and shooting.

5. Don’t forget the basics

It’s very easy to forget about the aesthetics of a picture, when you’re shooting people you know in their every day environment. But try to incorporate the basics, such as the rule of thirds, flatterings angles and not-too-cluttered backgrounds. Don’t be afraid to circle around people in mid-conversation or even ask them to take a couple of steps one way or the other. Again, this may seem strange at first, but they’ll get used to it.

And finally, don’t forget to edit your shots. Learn how to remove that zit from your girlfriend’s chin and do it, if you’re going to give her a copy of the image (or put it online for that matter). One could argue that this kind of editing is as much a distortion of the truth as forcing everyone to smile, but consider what the photo is for: Is it simply to leave a document behind for your grandchildren - or do you expect your girlfriend’s parents to hang that picture on the wall? Don’t manipulate the crap out of your images, but at the very least adjust the levels and curves of your shots.

The two images used here are unposed shots, the first one being my better half on a hunt for ingredients (she’s a major foodie and fantastic food-photographer), and the second shot is of my father, shot as he’s lighting a cigarette during his weekly blacksmithing session with the guys. There’s more of my pictures on flickr and on iStockphoto.

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