Written by - Pei Aui, Melbourne newborn, maternity, family and couples photographer.
Let's talk about the camera roll after a family holiday.
Nine hundred photos. Your toddler mid sneeze. A sunset that looked unreal in person and looks like a smudge on your screen. And somehow, not one photo with you in it.
I'm Pei, a Melbourne newborn, maternity, family and couples photographer based in Point Cook. And here's a secret. You don't need a fancy camera to come home with photos you'll love from your family trip. Your phone is already good enough. It just needs a few small tricks.
The most important hack
Wipe your lens. Everytime. Your phone has been living in a handbag with a rogue rice cracker, and that hazy, dreamy look is just fingerprints smeared with sunscreen. Clear some storage too, because videos eat space fast, and pack a small power bank.
Use the grid
Turn on your grid. On an iPhone, go to Settings, then Camera, then Grid. On Android, look for grid lines in your camera settings.Those nine boxes are there for a reason. Stop putting everyone dead centre and place your subject on one of the lines, or where two lines cross. It instantly feels more balanced and a bit more "someone thought about this." Use the grid to keep your horizon straight too, so your beach photo doesn't look like it's sliding off the page. Then look for lines and frames. A path, a jetty or a boardwalk leads the eye straight to your family walking along it. A doorway, an archway or a window frames them like the main event. The paths around Point Cook Coastal Park and Altona beach are great for practising.
Get down low
Most of us photograph kids from standing height, which gives us lots of photos of the tops of their heads. Crouch down to their eye level and you're suddenly in their world. Your knees will complain. Worth it. Kids also don't do "hold that pose." On most iPhones, slide the shutter button to the left and hold it to fire off a burst, then pick the best frame later. And if you want a closer shot, walk closer instead of pinch zooming, which makes photos grainy.
Follow the light
Light matters more than any setting on your phone. The soft hour after sunrise or before sunset is gold for family photos. It's warm, flattering and no one ends up squinting. Harsh midday sun gives you deep shadows and kids who look like they're being interrogated.
Keep the sun behind you or off to the side so faces are lit. Indoors, stand near a window and face the light. And always tap on a face before you shoot. Your phone will focus there and adjust the brightness to match, and on iPhone you can slide the little sun icon up or down to brighten or darken.
Now, videos
Video is where a trip really comes alive. The laughing, the babbling, the sound of the waves.
Decide vertical or horizontal before you start. Vertical suits Reels and Stories. Horizontal looks better on a TV or laptop, and it's the one you'll thank yourself for in ten years.
If you have the storage, 4K at 30 frames per second is a great all round setting. If space is tight, 1080p is perfectly fine. Hold your phone with two hands, tuck your elbows in and move slowly. You can also turn on super steady mode for more in built stabilisation.
Film in short clips of five to ten seconds and hold it still. Get one wide shot so you remember where you were, one of what's happening, and one close up of the tiny stuff, like sticky hands and little shoes. And don't skip the in between bits, like the walk to breakfast or the hotel room chaos. The big landmark is easy to remember. The ordinary bits are what slip away.
The one thing your phone can't do
Here's the truth. You can follow every tip in this post and still end up with a trip full of photos of everyone except you.
You're the one directing the poses, chasing the smiles and holding the phone. So you're rarely in the frame, and if I'm honest, you're rarely fully in the moment either. (Use the timer and prop your phone on a wall if you want a quick fix. It helps.)
That's the part I love taking off your plate. A photographer handles the light, the angles and the wrangling, so you can just be in it. Laughing, cuddling, being the mum in the photo instead of the one behind it. Years from now, that's the one your kids will reach for. Not the perfect sunset. The one with all of you in it, exactly as you are right now.
And if you've been meaning to get some proper photos of your family, I'm in Point Cook and always happy to have a chat. Leave me a message in the contact form below. Even if you're just thinking about it. Until then, have a beautiful trip. Turn on that grid. And get in at least one photo.