Improving Your Family Photo Skills

So you want to photograph for posterity?

So I am going to be making a few posts every once and a while with tips or bits of information about photography and how to photograph your family.

INSPIRATION

A really easy way to improve your photographic skills is to look at other people's photos (be it your neighbor or a professional).

The internet is a fantastic source for endless images. Or take some time to go to your local book store. Look at magazines or photo books.

You can look for ideas in the composition (how the objects are arranged ie, centered, to the side, asymetrical, etc) or color (all bright colors, all pale colors, complimentary colors, analagus colors (ie. all warm colors)). Also the angle at which the photo was taken can add interest to the subject.

extra FYI:
Why do people get red eye in photos?
In the back of our eyes there are loads of blood vessels which keep our eyes working. Most of the time we can't see them because light is not usually shining directly at them. When a flash photo is taken at a direct angle, the flash is right in line to reveal all those vessels.
Some cameras have "red eye reducers"- they have a small flash before the real flash - this encourages our puples to get smaller and thus let less light into the back of our eye.
How to avoid red eye altogether?
When possible don't use the flash.