When it’s time to get the family together for a unique family portrait, consider the benefits of having the shoot done outside. This is a great way to capture everyone in a special location, whether it’s the beach you all love or a park where your favourite picnics have occurred. If you’re looking to get a distinctive and personal family portrait, consider these top 5 outdoor spots.

Sun, Sand and Surf

The beach is a fantastic place for a stunning family portrait. The kids will love the chance to play on the sand and run in for a swim in between shots, creating a truly natural atmosphere that everyone can enjoy. Not only is it a visually beautiful backdrop, but an enjoyable trip to the beach means that the photographer will have more of a chance to capture everyone relaxed and having fun.

Home Sweet Home

Sometimes the best locations are the ones close to the heart. Portraits within the house setting are a great way to make everyone feel relaxed and quite literally at home. Whether it’s gathering in your lounge room or venturing outside for some lovely garden shots, having your portrait done at home can be very successful. This is especially important for those that have little ones who can be upset by too much of a change to their routine. Another benefit of being home is that your family pet can easily participate in the portrait too!

Defining the Project

If you are a videographer, or an aspiring videographer, and you have ever received notice of a last minute video opportunity or request, you may have had to scramble to get your equipment together.

If you are local, it is fairly easy, assuming you have already done this and you have the equipment ready and available. But, if you have to use the airlines to go somewhere remote, it becomes a little tricker, especially without the advantage of pre-planning for the ad lib event.

In this segment, we are going to talk about the part that *should* come before the videographer part. Why should you, as the videographer care? Well, because part of this, especially for smaller projects, may fall on your shoulders.

Script It

Chances are, if this is a last minute idea or concept, you do not have a script for the video. Many creative types will say they have it "all in their head" and that there is no problem, that you can show up and just "shoot."

You don't necessarily want to pass up on these creative types because some of the best ideas can come out of these last minute ad lib ideas.