#3
Even the professionals know the struggle. Family photographer Robyn Oosthuysen told Bored Panda that the most common challenge during a shoot is “an uncooperative child or father.” Kids in particular can feel pressured, especially if they’ve been bribed with treats to behave. Her solution is to treat the shoot as family fun time, letting kids play, climb and run. “If the parents, especially dad, are excited, then the kids will be excited.”
Robyn is a fan of both posed and candid shots, and finds that one often leads to the other. Once everyone is lined up and looking at the camera, she’ll tease someone, and the whole group collapses into giggles, creating “a bit of candid chaos.” Posed photos only get stiff and awkward, she says, when someone is too uncomfortable to be directed and plasters on a practiced smile. Even then, “sometimes cringe is in itself a kind of charm.” If great-grandpa won’t be swayed, everyone simply works around him. “Each family is unique in their own brand of charm.”
#10
Today, a photographer can check the screen and simply try again. But back in the day, Robyn points out, many families had to rely on a studio visit every few years or a disposable camera passed around the family. “You got what you got and couldn’t check, but hoped for the best,” she says. “Sometimes these were actually epic!” Robyn’s own mom had her and her siblings photographed every year, which meant being dragged inside, scrubbed till they shone and stuck in dresses they hated, “then threatened with our lives until we forced a good smile!” They hated every minute, she admits, “but I am now very grateful she did that.”
Of course, taking and keeping photos is only part of the equation. They also need to be looked at. In Robyn’s experience, nine out of ten people now shoot on their phones, so “we don’t print enough now to enjoy on a wall or for an album.” That’s a shame, because even a quick look at a loved one’s photo can do more than you’d think. In a 2009 UCLA study, women exposed to uncomfortable heat on their forearms reported less pain while looking at a photo of their partner, an effect about as strong as holding their hand.
#18
The photo doesn’t even have to be a flattering one. I was reminded of this while watching Season 3 of Alone Australia, where contestants survive in Tasmania’s rugged wilderness with only a handful of personal items. Survivalist, wilderness guide, and expedition leader Karla had brought along a photo of her sister, but not a sweet snapshot of the two of them together. It was a close-up of her sister pulling a hilariously unflattering face. Alone in the middle of nowhere, Karla looked at it and burst into uncontrollable laughter. It seemed to bring her more joy than any polished portrait could have.
