The holidays are a time for families to get together, catch up, celebrate, and inevitably take family photographs. I have been in charge of the family photos for as long as I can remember, and I can honestly tell you, that back in the day, I was an awful holiday-time photographer, I was 8 years-old…but still, I would have fired myself.

More than 3 decades later, I am still the one in charge of the family photos; in fact, I was invited to my sister’s wedding if- and only if-I would bring my cameras and my kids.

So, over the years, I have learned by trial and error. I am my worst critic and as a professional, I can easily see what is right and wrong with the pictures.

(Bless my mother, who still thinks my random out of focus “art” shots are worth keeping in the shoebox.)

The images that I am hoping to help with are the “party picture” shots that happen somewhat spontaneously at family gatherings. The tips and advice should help make those images a little better, and may even land one or two in a frame, as opposed to the shoebox.

Even with today’s foolproof point-and-shoot digital cameras, making a good family portrait requires a little planning.

Light is always an issue; more of it makes for better photography. Inexpensive point-and-shoot cameras are not known for being great in darker settings. Natural light and window light is a photographer’s best friend. One suggestion is to make your family portraits early in the day or afternoon. If you, as the photographer, line your subjects up so their faces are lit by the window light, and thus you have your back to the light, it usually creates a dynamic image. Be aware of casting a shadow on the subjects, since you, as the photographer, will be standing in between the subject and the light source.

If your family portraits need to be late in the evening, and thus lit by regular light bulbs, here are a few suggestions to make the image work: 1) Make sure your camera flash is on (a common mistake); 2) Turn on all the lights in the room you are shooting in. Again, light is your friend. Turn up your ISO (the little number on your camera that determines how much light sensitivity you will have);3) It is helpful to brace the camera on something, be it a bookshelf, door frame, basically substituting as a tripod (if you don’t already have one).

Playing with the ISO number is a little trick that will help indoor photography immensely, When you are shooting in straight daylight, your ISO should be low, say 100. Then while moving indoors, bumping it up to 400 (maybe even 800) will give your camera more light sensitivity, and at the same time, make your images a little bit more pixilated or “grainy”

So for this month, practice on getting a good and steady exposure. Tune in next moth, where  I will focus on composition and how to make the properly exposed images even better.

Stay focused and happy shooting.