How to Photograph Your Wife

Select a location where your wife feels comfortable or at ease. It may be her favorite place in the backyard or in her favorite chair in the house. Let your wife pick the location.

Set up your camera, inserting an empty memory card into the camera, turning the camera on and changing the scene mode to "Portrait." If you are using a digital single lens reflex camera and you have an external flash with an adjustable flash head, attach the head and direct the flash head towards the ceiling if you are shooting indoors, or leave it pointed forward if shooting outdoors. By directing the flash head towards the ceiling you will create a softer more natural light and by leaving it pointed forward the flash will act as a fill light that will fill in any shadows created by trees when shooting outdoors.

Attach the camera to a tripod, compose your picture and pre-focus the camera on your wife. When she has the expression on her face you want, you need to be ready to take the picture quickly. Once the camera is pre-focused, hold the shutter release halfway down to retain the focus lock, or switch the lens to "MF" for manual focus.

Use your knowledge of your wife and give her direction so you get the type of expression for which you are looking. This is where you can share a joke or funny moment, or special moment or some other event from your past together that will generate the expression you want. Press the shutter release as soon as you see the expression.

Recompose and pre-focus for your next picture and repeat the process until you have a number of pictures of your wife from which you can choose.