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Hey everyone!
I meant to post this earlier, but the week got away from me. I’m taking my first family pictures this next week, and I just wondered if anyone had any tips for taking family photos. I don’t have any experience as of yet taking photos of other families besides my own, so any assistance would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
JoannaSmiles take first priority.
Take lots of pictures, in a pinch you can photoshop eyes, or smiles.
Do vertical, and horizon shots, you don’t know what the family may need them for.
Do many different combinations of family members. Dad + Mom, Dad + Girls, Siblings, etc.
Try to get some casual ones of the family interacting.
Do test shots. What I’ll do is as we’re walking to our location I’ll pick one or a couple of the kids and tell them “I need your help to do a test shot”. I use that to get my settings all right. Also it makes the child feel special.
When you’re setting up the main family shot; take your time, checking that you can clearly see everyone’s face.Photographing family (your own or someone else’s) is a great privilege but also a great responsibility.
-HannahThanks, @blessingscaptured! This is really helpful! 🙂
Oooh, good for you, Joanna! It’s an big step, to take on the role of family photographer for another family!
I don’t know your personality, but it helps me a LOT when I scout out a location beforehand, preferably at a similar time and same lighting conditions as the real shoot will be (sometimes an hour or two before the real shoot works fine). In my mind I can have a Plan A where I’ll do such and such shots here, and such and such shots there, knowing that the lighting and background will be nice. This takes a lot of pressure off, and I don’t feel so nervous.
Use camera settings that you’re comfortable with. If you’re used to shooting in Av, use it. If you’re used to shooting in full Manual, use it. I have learned that I’m most comfortable shooting indoor event/wedding/family photos in full Manual with auto ISO, and shooting outdoor event/wedding/family photos in Av with auto ISO.
I like to think through all my poses ahead of time. Again, I have a Plan A. And then when other poses come to mind in the moment, or that are suggested, then I can run with them. But it always helps me to have some ideas tucked in the back of my mind, especially if it’s not an outgoing family.
One thing I find in family photography is the parents sometimes take on the job of “forcing” their kids to smile and stand perfectly and do everything just so so. This doesn’t foster genuine smiles or poses. There will inevitably be one (or many) kids (of any age) who are hard to work with because they don’t want to smile or don’t want to do as their told, or they say they don’t like being in front of a camera, or whatever. Take your TIME with THOSE kids! Get them to be your buddy. Like @blessingscaptured said, make them feel special somehow UNRELATED to having their “formal” picture taken. In between poses, give them a task, like running to get a stick or colorful leaf for you over at the other end of the yard, and let them hold it until you’re ready…then set up the family, and then tell them you’re going to borrow it and you take it and hold it next to your lens when you take the photo….you know, get them thinking about something other than the fact that their photo is being taken. Do what is natural, fits with the family/person you’re working with. If mom is getting up tight, stay relaxed and smile and go slow and be patient and work it out. Eventually, perhaps, you will have to take photos with the one kid frowning because there’s nothing else you can do, but don’t let someone else set a tense tone.
I like to chose locations where they have things to interact with. Rock walls, benches, stairs, porch, rocks, tables, paths, swings, etc.
Let us know how it goes!
Heartily agree with what has been said so far!
I’d condense my suggestions to the three following points:
1) Plan general groupings
i.e. full family, dad/kids, mom/kids, siblings, individuals2) Use variations within each grouping
i.e. posed, seated, standing, moving (walking, running, playing “red light green light”, giving group hugs, etc)3) Depending on how much time & where you are, plan to do the various groupings in multiple locations.
This can help bring variety, and you can vary things up from before as far as where you’re putting people in the shotAlso, I’d highly recommend getting the 30 Tips for Perfect Family Photos ebook. It was a tremendous help when I was first taking family photos. And I’m not getting any personal or monetary benefit by sharing this as part of the Lenspiration Team either 🙂 Just genuinely recommending a resource that was a help to me at the beginning!
The Pro Posing database also has a bunch of example images with tips in the captions, so you can also check that out!
If you feel like you need more ideas, feel free to share the general age range of the children and how many there are, and I could try to share additional ideas for natural smiles 🙂
Thanks everyone, for your input! I will definitely be coming back to this with future photoshoots as well!
The photoshoot went great! I wasn’t able to go to the location beforehand, as the family hadn’t decided till I arrived there. But I was able to find some really cool locations there, even though I had never seen the place. I did switch into auto ISO, and that was really helpful, because we went back and forth from darker settings to lighter settings. Having all my poses and groups worked out beforehand was also really helpful.
I did have a bit of trouble with getting the third little girl, who is about five, to smile. At the beginning, she was really excited, and smiled pretty naturally, but as the time wore on, she got tired of it, and so the smiles aren’t as good. So next time, I think I’ll make sure and take the individuals of the kids first, so that the kids don’t have to be the last ones to be taken pictures of and be standing around the whole time, if that makes sense.
But all in all, if went really well! I have a few more family photoshoots scheduled for this year, so I might be back with some other questions! but thank you all for your help, it was great!
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