FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY

Learn Family Photography Poses
To Make Your Family a STAR

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In poses for Large Families, we focus on taking pictures of groups larger than 5.

The groups can consist of adults, children, babies, robots (only if family members) and pets, as long as the total is greater than 5.

We will cover group pictures taken inside and outside, and discuss the specific photography posing tips applicable to both.

There is not much difference between traditional large group photography poses and large family photography poses; except, there are typically more flying elbows in the latter than the former.

OK, now let's get into some tips on family photography poses specifically for your family...

This pose took place in a picturesque setting where there were boulders, trees, and grass.

Tip # 2 in "Family Photography Tips 101" is really a tip on backgrounds. As the Commander-In-Chief-of-the-Camera (CICOTC, for short), you get to decide where the photograph is taken as well as how much of the background to include in the picture.

This particular family photography shot demonstrates tips on background, composition, cropping, posing, and lighting.

Since the location had boulders, we might as well take advantage of them with our posing choices. If the boulders weren't there, we would be much more limited in our posing options...

Unless, of course, you could convince them to form a human pyramid (a guaranteed family photography classic). However, in this photo, we have a man sitting on a boulder with his wife on his lap.

We also position Dan on the left, with one foot on a rock, pivoting toward the camera. The three others in the shot have varying amounts of their bodies blocked.

However, their faces are all nicely visible, and that is what you ALWAYS WANT.

This particular photography pose works so well because each of the 6 people is using a slightly different pose, which when taken as a total composition, works extremely well.

If you run into a similar environment, it's recommended that you take several pictures... some where the rocks are visible, and some where they are not. Then when you get home and download all the photos, you can decide which you like best.

And, if you've ever had anyone blink, scratch, or move at the exact moment you took a group photograph, you have got to check out the Blink Eradication System which eliminates blinking every single time.

For the family photography photo above, all the people are positioned in the center of the photo. However, there's a significant element in the background (the tree on the left). We could have chosen to position the tree in the center of the frame (in the background, of course; do you think I'm an idiot?) or position it off-center, like we did. Being on the left produces a more pleasant overall composition.

And, as a nice bonus, the dramatic contrast of light and shadow in the background create a nice artistic look. As long as your subjects are not in light AND shadow, you're alright. However, if there is not enough light where your subjects are, you should elect to use fill-flash.

Here's a tip on using the correct metering mode. If your camera has a "center weighted-average" metering mode, you should use it in this type of shot, while focusing on the 6 people.

If instead, you used an "evaluative" or "overall average" type of metering, thus including the partially lit background, the people would be under-developed, unless fill-flash is used.

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In this case, the background was distracting, so we fashioned a "poor man's backdrop" out of a white sheet. On the other hand, if the background adds to the family photography poses, it's fine to leave them in (and also much easier).

Quick tip: when practicing family photography, don't have everyone posing exactly the same way. Check out how many different positions the family in this photograph used.

(It's fair to count as "different," if one person is shown unblocked, while another uses the same pose, but may be partially blocked... but never the face). Imagine how different the picture would look if everyone stood next to each other in front of the rocks. Does the "B" word come to mind?

The most common mistake in beginner photography when directing a large group in taking family photography poses is not to have everyone's face visible. Just remember this general rule of thumb: the larger the group, the more slight positioning adjustments need to be made.

This pose can be used as a template for your family photography pose, if you have a group greater than 35.

However, to find stadium seating could be an issue. Unless a family member is a financial benefactor of an educational institution, check out local park districts and outdoor sports fields.

However, depending on the size of the group and your camera lens, you can capture excellent family photography photos from the top of an 8 foot ladder.

Most camera owners are very intimidated about how to take group photos, and that's understandable.

After all, you need to decide on the best location, find a good background, effectively pose everyone, deal with lighting, the composition, depth of field... the list goes on and on.

Even though these points are true, there is a better way to take group photographs than telling the group to "Move over there and smile." That better way is our No-Sweat Approach to Taking Great Group Photos.

By following the "By-the-Numbers" approach in our book, I can guarantee that your group photos will be AT LEAST TWICE AS GOOD as they have ever been (even if you've never held a camera before).

To find out how we created an approach that is just as effective for an experienced photographer as it is for a beginner, look here for a real eye-opener!

This family photograph was taken in a very large sun room, which supplied plenty of light.

When done indoors where a flash is required, read your manual to find out what your flash's coverage is.

Unless your camera has a hot shoe and you're using a more powerful external flash, your coverage may be limited to approximately 10 feet!

The point is - look around for obvious and "common" settings.

A museum or library could have served just as well if not better. As an option, if you're taking family photography on the steps of a striking building, take several shots, including and excluding parts of the building. You can always decide later which ones to use.

The main photography tip for this type of pose is to arrange everyone so that every face is visible, and not even partially blocked. Sounds simple, but unless you think of it, I guarantee you're going to capture plenty of shots with only uncle Bob's hat and not his smiling face.

When you are out posing your family, one of the prime photography tips is to take lots and lots of photos, even of the same pose! Why?

Because the risk of at least one person having their eyes closed increases geometrically as the group size increases. (Sigh... Oh, the complexities of family photography!)

Once you get home and look at your images, you can start to get creative.

Cropping photographs to achieve different (and often spectacular) results is one of easiest ways that exist to make your work look more professional.

As a simple example, the above photo is 1 of an infinite number of cropped choices derived from the original photograph.

In this particular cropped image, some of the family members are excluded.

However, you could perform 3 - 4 different crops of the same original, and have everyone in them. As with everything else in photography, it's your choice on how creative you want to be.

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