Avoid disappointing your clients and producing a dull family photoshoot. Knowing how to arrange a family in a beautiful setting will help you capture incredible images that leave your clients thrilled and happy to hire you.
bluecranedigital.com gathered information, ideas, and tips to help you create the perfect atmosphere, family placement, and themed backdrop to capture stunning images that your clients will cherish for generations.
Family Photoshoots
Family pictures are essential family staples for many reasons. They capture memories, document physical and personal growth, and display our most cherished relationships to the world. For some, family pictures are the perfect way to create holiday greeting cards, while for others, they are a way to remember a loved one who has passed away. Consider the following when planning a family portrait photoshoot:
How Big is the Family You Will Shoot? – Ask about the number of family members the session will include, so you can plan specific poses and prepare the photoshoot’s location.
How Many Generations are Participating? – It is crucial to know if there will be adolescents, kids, babies, pets, and special needs children. These groups can be incredibly demanding, and toys, treats, props, and sometimes an assistant or two are much needed.
What’s the Attire? – Unless you are shooting a themed session with a holiday or family event, remind family members to wear solid colors and to bring a change or two of clothes if the photoshoot includes kids and babies (accidents are bound to happen).
Find the Right Location – When conducting a family photoshoot outside your studio, consider the following:
- Choose a Meaningful Place (often, the family will have a place or image in mind)
- Use Natural Lighting (watch the weather forecast and be ready for last-minute changes)
- Set Up Near Shelter (you may need to take cover if severe weather interrupts your activities)
- Choose a Relatively Quiet Location
- Don’t Allow the Location to Distract You or the Family
Unless your client has already chosen a location for the photoshoot, a professional photographer will often scout two or three locations for the shoot. Then they let the client decide where the shoot will ultimately happen.
Tip: Visit the intended location at different times during the day and take test shots of any interesting surrounding elements. This will help you better arrange and capture stunning images.
Shoot at the Golden Hour – The Golden Hour represents a state of natural lighting occurring around sunrise and sunset. It’s valued by professional photographers for casting striking soft colors and dimensions. The Golden Hour does not happen at a specific time of day but is present when the sun is between 6 degrees below and 6 degrees above the horizon. As a result, when the sun’s angle reduces its light’s intensity, you can position the family with light in front, behind, or to their side.
Everyone in Place – The typical rule for every group is that taller people should be moved toward the back and center while positioning shorter family members in front and on the sides. However, this rule can be modified when the location has multiple levels, or some of the family will be seated.
Tip: Take multiple photos with family members in different places and positions.
All Faces in Focus – Packing your wide-angle lens is mandatory for family photoshoots. Remember that you should see everyone’s face in focus. Avoid positioning yourself too far away and be mindful of the 70 -30 ratio (70% of the image should be of the family, while 30% can include the location or chosen props).
Shoot from Eye Level – Unless the photoshoot concept requires you to position yourself above the family or shoot from different angles, you should attempt to remain at eye level with the group. Consider the following:
If everyone is sitting on a grassy knoll, sit with them
When taking “age group” shots, adjust the camera height to their eye level
Tip: Use a tripod to help you capture pristine shots at different heights and angles while keeping your camera steady.
Grandparents in the Picture – When a grandparent or a great-grandparent participates in the photoshoot, you have an amazing opportunity to showcase the different generations. You can compose pictures with grandparents, their children, and their grandchildren. Depending on the occasion or purpose of the photoshoot, you can center the older generations with everyone else standing or sitting around them.
Toddlers and Babies in the Picture – Capturing the warm embraces of parents, a sleeping baby’s face while his parents are affectionately observing, and fun play between toddlers and their parents are crucial elements whenever children are involved in a photoshoot.
Pets in the Picture – Pets are the most stubborn and unpredictable family members (more so than toddlers). You will need to capture a series of photos of pets interacting with some family members and then all of them. Pictures of children with their pets are crucial.
Note: The intention is to capture the pet’s energy and happiness around its family.
Photoshoot Ideas
In this article, you discovered ideas and tips that help you flawlessly conduct a family photoshoot capturing the family’s essence in stunning images that convey their love and care for each other.
Knowing how to organize, prepare, and conduct a family photoshoot will help you produce the imagery your clients envisioned and surprise them with incredible, unexpected shots.
Ignoring the need to plan and tips for producing a family photoshoot can leave you with underwhelming images, disappointed clients, and a poor reputation.
Sources:
sites.psu.edu/qualityphotodesignproject/step-one/
nyip.edu/photo-articles/photography-tutorials/five-tips-for-making-photo-subjects-comfortable
nyfa.edu/student-resources/say-cheese-tips-for-photographing-children/
nfi.edu/portrait-shots/