I wanted to get into snapping some good portrait shots of friends and family. What advice would you have to give toward this end? I'd like them to not be completely posed but not entirely candid either -- a happy in-between that I've only managed to capture a few times.

Do any of you have much portrait experience and is there anything you could tell me that would help with this pursuit?

Thanks.

I would suggest shooting outdoors. It lends a more casual feel to the picture, even if you do end up posing your subjects (which I agree- I don't like to do either!). Shooting when the sun is lower in the sky gives a really nice flattering light, just make sure that the sun isn't behind your subject because they will turn to silhouettes. I hope that helps!

Thanks that's good advice. I even want to play around with shooting some silhouettes as well and playing with shadow in taking portraits and see what kind of results I can get from that. That should help quite a bit though so thank you for the help.

You're very welcome! Always happy to be of assistance. =)

Shooting casual portraits are hard - especially since family and friends are rarely models or actors and feel the need to either pose for a picture, or are self-conscious. At least that's what I've found to be true. You have to tell them to pay no attention to you half the time in order to get a good shot.

I can suggest you one thing. Let the kids play and then take shots without telling them. I have tried this and believe me, the pics are awesome and they look really lively even after decades. This is because the expressions are natural. Try it.

My children have camera-radar built in. If I walk into the room with a camera, they notice instantly and start clowning. They're little show-offs. My eldest son is 10 though, so he'll probably hit the age where he's saying, "Awww Mom - stop it with the camera already!" soon enough. Good advice though - the natural action shots are good.

Their are two tips I can give from my experience.
1. Always take along a mirror. :-) Ha, Ha...Half seriously.
2. Second, from my experience of taking portraits of babies (my nieces!) I can give the following advice:
As much as the light will allow, use the fastest shutter speed possible when taking portraits of babies. You cannot force babies to pose or smile - it just won't work 100% of the time. Just that you are ready for quick sudden movements as well as expressions and movements that change in an instant. With a fast shutter speed (& quicker reflexes) you will have a better chance to take a photo cherished for years to come

I'm probably asking a stupid question but what is shutter speed? Does that pertain to a digital camera? I've tried taking pictures of my kids and my two oldest do pretty good but with my three year old you have to be quick if you want a picture of her face.

I agree with the shutter speed. This is also what I do when I take pictures of kids playing. Kids are always moving, they can't seem to keep still enough to be able to take decent candid shots of them.

maryelser, shutter speed is basically the amount of time the shutter is open or the amount of time your camera "sees" the scene you want to capture. This can be found in both digital and film cameras.

Thanks gale, that was very helpful! I'm kind of new to photography and even though I've had my digital camera for almost a year now, there's still a lot I don't know about taking pictures.

I wold have to agree with Amber. I would also add that some of the ones are done at random and when a person is not posing for it. just casual I say. Take it when they do not know it is coming.