Five Photography Tips For Taking Family Portraits
- By Autumn Lockwood
- Published 01/29/2010
- Articles
- Unrated
Autumn Lockwood
Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames.com and loves photography. Your Picture Frames offers a big selection of colors like green picture frames and blue picture frames. Shop for your frames online or call 1-800-780-0699.
View all articles by Autumn Lockwood
There are lots of great reasons why you should learn how to take family portraits and you don't even have to embark on a photography career to do so. Having portraits taken professionally can sometimes be too expensive for many families. And often it can be difficult to get everyone to the studio at the scheduled time.
Every family deserves to have at least one nice portrait together and as a family grows and ages, it's nice to have additional portraits done too. If you are a photography hobbyist you probably know others who would love to have you take their family portraits, but don't forget your own family! If you are taking a portrait of your own family, make sure to be in it too! So be sure to use a camera with a remote shutter button release and a timer.
If you new to photography, learning how to take good family portraits will come in handy when taking group pictures at family gatherings like Thanksgiving.
Without further ado, here are some tips to help you get started taking memorable family portraits, whether formal or informal.
1) Avoid the "Police Line Up" Portrait – Instead of lining everyone up shoulder to shoulder, try a more natural arrangement that also makes it easier to to fit a bunch of people into one picture.
Staggering is one such technique. For example, you might stagger the family members on the front steps of a porch or on and around boulders near a pond, with some family members standing and others sitting. If in a park, you could sit everyone on the lawn clustered together or have them sit on a bench. Show family closeness by spacing members close together.
2) Show Relationships – You can do this by the way in which you have people pose in the portrait. For example, Grandma and Grandpa might stand next to each, a toddler could be in Mother's arms, two siblings might have arms slung over each others shoulders, etc.
3) Consider Including the Family Pets – assuming they hold still long enough. Even if the pet is sitting still, you probably should raise the Shutter Speed Priority to 1/125 because even the smallest movement can cause a blur. It is much easier to take a portrait of an individual with a pet or a pet separately, but if the family has a mellow dog or cat, try some family portrait poses with and without.
4) Get Creative with Props – depending upon the type of portrait you want. Does the family play community baseball? Each family member could hold a ball, bat or mitt. This is a trend with individual portraiture that can be fun for families too.
5) Get Everyone Smiling – Instead of just having them say "cheese," put them at ease by talking to them so they'll become more relaxed and real. When you've got the smiles and pose, ask the family to hold them until you give the signal that your camera's got the shot.
Finally, have fun taking lots of pictures so the family can choose their favorite. You're sure to get some great shots where the family will be excited to frame them for all to see.
Every family deserves to have at least one nice portrait together and as a family grows and ages, it's nice to have additional portraits done too. If you are a photography hobbyist you probably know others who would love to have you take their family portraits, but don't forget your own family! If you are taking a portrait of your own family, make sure to be in it too! So be sure to use a camera with a remote shutter button release and a timer.
If you new to photography, learning how to take good family portraits will come in handy when taking group pictures at family gatherings like Thanksgiving.
Without further ado, here are some tips to help you get started taking memorable family portraits, whether formal or informal.
1) Avoid the "Police Line Up" Portrait – Instead of lining everyone up shoulder to shoulder, try a more natural arrangement that also makes it easier to to fit a bunch of people into one picture.
Staggering is one such technique. For example, you might stagger the family members on the front steps of a porch or on and around boulders near a pond, with some family members standing and others sitting. If in a park, you could sit everyone on the lawn clustered together or have them sit on a bench. Show family closeness by spacing members close together.
2) Show Relationships – You can do this by the way in which you have people pose in the portrait. For example, Grandma and Grandpa might stand next to each, a toddler could be in Mother's arms, two siblings might have arms slung over each others shoulders, etc.
3) Consider Including the Family Pets – assuming they hold still long enough. Even if the pet is sitting still, you probably should raise the Shutter Speed Priority to 1/125 because even the smallest movement can cause a blur. It is much easier to take a portrait of an individual with a pet or a pet separately, but if the family has a mellow dog or cat, try some family portrait poses with and without.
4) Get Creative with Props – depending upon the type of portrait you want. Does the family play community baseball? Each family member could hold a ball, bat or mitt. This is a trend with individual portraiture that can be fun for families too.
5) Get Everyone Smiling – Instead of just having them say "cheese," put them at ease by talking to them so they'll become more relaxed and real. When you've got the smiles and pose, ask the family to hold them until you give the signal that your camera's got the shot.
Finally, have fun taking lots of pictures so the family can choose their favorite. You're sure to get some great shots where the family will be excited to frame them for all to see.