Add Some Family Portrait Ideas
To Your Repertoire

The huge majority of digital photographers don't deviate from the relatively few number of familiar poses they have used throughout the years. So, from that viewpoint, those poses should be pretty well perfected.

Unfortunately, anything used repeatedly within a creative activity like photography, has a tendency to get stale.

So let's evaluate some family portrait ideas, so when you go to use them, you can feel free to modify them.

I'm sure you could come up with numerous family portrait ideas, if left on your own. With that said, let me get the ball rolling with...

1. Slow Down

   Unless you're under duress (such as being forced to photograph, at gunpoint), take your time composing and properly arranging the subject and background.

   For example, what do you notice about this photo?

   The actual composition and pose is pretty good. However, do you find the woman in the background as distracting as I do?

   Rarely will you be locked into a situation where there is poor composition, an ugly background, plus distracting objects in the foreground.

   If you are, or if you have a few of these things happening at the same time, improve the situation by using some family portrait ideas such as these:

   • Move the subject(s) to a better location, elevation, lighting, or angle.

   • Have the subject turn their head so they face a different direction than their body is facing.

   • Wait for sun, clouds, or wind to change.

   • Keep the subject(s) in the same location while the photographer moves; thus completely changing the background and foreground objects within the shot.

   For the photograph above, several family portrait ideas could have been used to improve the situation. The obvious one (to me) would have been to wait until the woman walked out of the scene.

   If that's not possible, the photographer should "reposition" (that's a fancy word meaning "move it, buddy!") so that the woman is no longer in the background.

   And, failing those, use one of the oldest family portrait ideas in the book... switch your camera's shooting mode to Program or Aperture Priority and use as wide an aperture as possible (F/2.0 for example) to blur the background.

   This picture was captured 20 seconds after the first one. Do you think it was worth the 20 second wait?

   You don't have to accept the original pose and location of your subject(s). Sometimes, the original is not very good.

   Therefore, rather then trying to improve an initial composition that is poor-at-best; take a different approach.

   First, decide what is the best overall composition possible, and then position the subject(s) accordingly.

   Just because there is something in the way of your scene doesn't mean you need to accept it. You can move it or work around it. Very few things are carved in stone.

   Act like a director and take control of your "set." You'll be much happier with the final results and probably have more fun doing it too.

   Family portrait ideas from the movies!

   How often have you seen a group of people having their picture taken without any attempt by the subjects OR the photographer to arrange the scene?
   
   If you can't think of a unique pose, don't worry. We'll cover how to find more ideas for poses than you could possibly use.

   For this family portrait idea, think of a scene from a movie. Everyone has movie favorites.

   Whether dealing with children or adults, have them agree on a scene they like, and then move into it.

   If the scene has a lot of action to it, have them slowly move about within the scene, and when your creative juices move you, have them freeze and take the shot.

   This approach works especially well for children, even the "antsy" kind who won't sit still.

2. A frame within a frame.

   It can be quite effective to create a "natural frame" that the subject can be positioned within.

   There are many opportunities to position your subject(s) so they appear framed by tree branches, a hole in a rock, or any open structure like a gazebo.

   If there isn't anything natural around to use as a frame, use (or make) a suitable object.

   Try holding a cardboard tube from a roll of toilet paper or paper towels, in front of the camera. If done properly, it can produce interesting effects.

   You may need to use manual focus to avoid the camera's auto focusing system from getting confused.

3. Some family portrait ideas are more suitable for children than others.

   If you're trying to take a candid "natural" photograph of a young child, you may need to bore them into it.

   Children will often get very interested in what you are doing (with the camera) and thus eliminate any chance of getting a natural photograph of them.

   Wait them out. If you take a bunch of pictures, eventually the novelty will wear off for them and they will often go off and "be themselves," thus ignoring you. That's your goal. Just watch, stay out of their way, don't talk to them, and capture the masterpieces!

4. Creative family portrait ideas.

   Don't limit yourself to always shooting from the same relative level as your subjects.

   Go higher and shoot down (ladder, or top of hill). Shoot from below your subject (lay down, or have them on top of a wall, with you below them).

5. Fast and slow family portrait ideas.

   Determine the range of shutter speeds you have to work with for your camera.

   Play with a very fast shutter speed (1/1000th of a second, for example) to stop the action cold. Or, use a relatively slow speed (depending on the activity) to create a blurred effect, on purpose.

6. Get outstanding family portrait ideas from the experts!

   Look through magazines, but not how you normally would.

   Next time you're in a doctor's waiting room, examine the ads and notice how people were posed by professionals.

   See if you could modify any poses and create your own family portrait ideas. You don't need to tell anyone you saw it in a magazine.

7. Black and White
   
   More than likely, your digital camera is capable of taking some black and white photographs. If you haven't taken black and white photos before, you're in for a treat.

   The same exact scene will often produce a completely different effect in black and white than it does in color.

8. Photographic Law of Large Numbers

   This family portrait idea sounds complex, doesn't it? All it means is - take lots and lots of photos. Sometimes you won't find your best shot until after it's downloaded to your computer and cropped.

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 Strategy For 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!