Basic Guide To Help You Master Family Portraits Comfortably

There are some things to note to take good portraits. A pose is one of the most powerful aspects of photography in conveying a mood. One pose may convey power, while another sadness. The slightest shift in a pose can significantly change the mood of the photo. Many photographers or people do not fare well with photo shoots because, most of the time, they do not know what to do with their hands or how to pose.

Hopefully, by breaking down some of these posing guides and with lots of practice, you might be able to guide your subjects better or not fear photo shoots anymore.

Dynamic family portraits at home

You can add some dynamics to family portraits shot at home by incorporating certain house elements or furniture with simple poses. You can get some of the family members to stand on the chairs, lie on the bed, or pop their heads from the cupboard. Some additional tricks, especially for young parents with a toddler, can be putting the child in the sink with the water running while the parents steal a kiss while playing with their child. The key is to use what is available in the house as unique aspects of your composition and creativity. One way to approach such a shoot is to think through situations that would not happen in their daily lives and turn that into a reality.

Candid family portraits

When it comes to shooting families, it is important to bear in mind that they are day-to-day human beings who do not model for a living. Hence, while it can be the most straightforward thing to guide and direct them in the right pose to get the best image, sometimes letting them do their thing with minimal guidance helps create a candid photo that exudes connection.

Things to note

When shooting families, there might be children involved. Children have short attention spans and have even lesser tolerance to stay still and pose. Because of that, try to grab at least a proper image of the entire family sitting or standing together, looking straight at the camera, right at the start of the photo session. Some poses you might want to include in the list of "must-have" photos could be a nice family photo together, photos of each individual child with the parents, and all the children together.

You would also want to note that variety is important both as a way to make the shoot more engaging, as well as it looks great in photos when there are different poses. You can get the family to snuggle together and throw in some mild tickles to get those genuine smiles and laughter. You can also get them to stand in a line and hold hands, or even jump around, or do a family-wide wave. Whatever you can think of to make the shoot engaging and dynamic.

Getting young children up on their parents' shoulders encourages heads to get close to one another. Another way to achieve such closeness can also be to get children to hug their parents from behind or squish their cheeks together.

The crux of family portraits, ironically, is not about posing but about how you bring about the closeness and connection that the family has. In this case, the posing really is about "positioning" them in a way that brings out the best. Let the family play around and have fun with one another. That way, they will show you different sides of the – emotions and personalities – that are opportunities for good family portraits.

Conclusion

Hopefully, with this simple guide, you will know how to take charge of your family photoshoots and how to guide your families towards the pose you want to include in your "must-have" images. Remember, at the end of the day; it is all about the family. So, just have fun and help them achieve that fun as well.

Crio Collective is a great place to host your family photoshoots. We have a cyclorama studio and kitchen studio for rentals, among other photoshoot studio spaces. Whatever your family portrait needs are, we guarantee we have the right space to meet them. Visit our website to find out more!