Three Posing Tips for Family Photography

I love family photography sessions for so many reasons! For one they are full of surprises and each one is unique. This makes each photoshoot a fun adventure every time! Because of the unpredictability of children at various ages, helping everyone pose in family photography does have it’s challenges. I have found it is best to come with lots of joyful energy and have some pose and prompt ideas prepared beforehand. You will come with your plan and ideas but allow for those plans to change. Once you get to know your group you might need to change directions and go with the flow or “follow the child” as Maria Montessori describes. Below are my three tips for facilitating natural and fun outdoor family portrait sessions.

1. Group shots first. You don’t know how long you have before the kids loose interest or patience for photos so make sure you get your group shots taken first and take a lot of them! The more the better so you can pick out ones where everyone looks their best.

2. Keep them moving. Make it fun! If you include movement and games in your outdoor portrait sessions you will get more engagement from everyone and capture some genuine smiles and personality. A couple examples would be to have the family walk holding hands, or play the tickle game. The more everyone is moving the more relaxed they will be and the more opportunity for capturing personality and that inner glow.

3. Use prompts instead of poses. Instead of telling everyone to smile, engage people in an action that makes them smile such as “look at the funniest person” or “run to try and catch dad.”

I hope these ideas are helpful! Every family photoshoot will be different because every child and age is different and every day is different. Have patience, have fun and go with the flow. Your families will thank you for it and everyone will leave with a positive experience looking forward to the next photoshoot.