Life can go pretty fast, especially when you have kids. One moment they’re just little children, and in the blink of an eye, they’re off to school or college or out into the big world. Along the way, every family will have critical and precious moments in life worth preserving.
By far, the best way to capture moments is family photography. We are presenting you with some tips that’ll help you capture those beautiful moments with your family so you can cherish them forever.
1. Make a plan
Make a plan and find out where you will take the photo and when that area will be in perfect condition and less crowded. Talk about the plan you have for the photoshoot. If you take a family’s photos only in this place or later, it completely changes the location of the photo session or changes the site.
2. What to wear
If you’re hosting a family photoshoot, you’ve got to help yourself and your family and get them to dress for the occasion. The most direct approach is to get everyone to coordinate; this is much easier with young children than with unwilling teenagers. A coordinated wardrobe performs several functions, the first of which is that you don’t have to spend time approving clothing choices. The overall composition works best when they are not contrasting or identical in their fashion choice. For newborn photography, be sure to pack a change of clothes for minor accidents.
The key is how you communicate with family about your options and why they are so important to your family portrait session. Ask them what they want their photos to look like. Involve them in the decision-making process, so they feel natural to them and reflect your family lifestyle.
3. Choosing the right poses
Positioning your subjects is by far one of the most difficult aspects of any family portrait session, especially when photographing children. If you are photographing young children, work with parents to get their support in posing for the scene.
Also, understand the posture and styles of poses you can work with: sitting, standing, and lying on the floor are typical. Mixing these styles can make a difference in the balance of family portraits. Having adults standing while children are sitting can result in a bit of a messy portrait. If the children stand while the parents sit, the picture aligns everyone’s eye level and creates a more pleasing composition.
When working with infants or young children, work lower on the floor with parents lying down while children play in front of them.
4. Include the pets
Pets are part of the family so there’s no doubt we’d want to include them in our pictures. Involving the dog, cat, or hamster is challenging, but it also works in your favor. The challenge with pets is that they are less responsive to suggestions than children. The advantage is that a pet is a focal point for children or the whole family.
If the pet proves to be a big distraction for the kids, make sure you include your family portrait with and without them.
5. Keep it moving
Try to do your best not to get bogged down in the details. In the end, when all is said (and done), natural-looking images trump perfection. Plan some poses in advance. In your head, and once you’ve thought of it, take some precautions and then jump into action right away. Again, at the risk of getting bored, take lots of photos. Keep experimenting!
6. Make it an enjoyable experience
Family photographs can be a ton of fun where you can highlight the natural joy of family moments. If the kids are young, don’t be afraid to play with them or take advantage of their playful nature to capture them in your photos. Encourage all family members to play and take great pictures of them tickling each other or laughing at each other. Candid pictures like these are often some of the family’s all-time favorites.
7. Drone
Drones aren’t the most important device for family portrait photography, but they can certainly add a unique twist. Consider using a drone from above to capture a family walking along a completely deserted beach. The aerial view of the sea and the shore makes for a spectacular sight!
Alternatively, if you’re an active family, you can use a drone to capture a stunning sunset photo of them standing on a cliff or ledge. A simple technique that is always fun for children is to have everyone lie on the ground and look up at the sky. Of course, this works best when it’s a cloudy day to avoid squinting!
8. Goof around
The final piece of advice is not to take yourself too seriously. Create some crazy shots at the end of the session (or even in the middle of the session when the energy seems to be draining). Tell the family to do a group squish and let them squish. Often they start laughing, and when they break up, you can take the picture. Do a pile on in the grass? Have your family jump in the air or make faces!). It breaks the tension and brightens the mood.
8. No cartoon characters
Your child might want to wear a Superman or Batman t-shirt to their photoshoot but you’d probably want to skip this one. Characters on t-shirts are often very distracting and draw the attention away from the real beauty of the picture.
9. Have the right expressions
Having the proper expressions is the key to a successful photoshoot. Even if the lighting is questionable, if your models are laughing or making the funniest faces, your photo is bound to be a hit. It really helps to let out your comedic side during your job!
10. Don’t stop at a few good shots
There’s always the possibility of a family member looking away from the camera, someone blinking, or kids making faces that don’t suit the atmosphere of your picture. For this purpose, make sure that you snap as many shots as possible so that you can pick and choose the best for your clients.
And that’s about it! Hopefully these techniques will help you capture the precious family moments that the family will hold dear for decades to come.