FAMILY PORTRAIT POSES

Family Portrait Poses are all about
Family, Friends, & Memories

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And it's not even difficult! Just take a look at these easy-to-use photography poses and techniques. In "Small Family Group Poses" (as opposed to Large Family Group Poses), we will focus on groups between 2 and 5.

Your group can consist of adults, children, babies, and pets, as long as the total doesn't exceed five in total.

Let's explore some tips on family portrait poses specifically for YOUR FAMILY. We will address group pictures taken inside and outside; and discuss the portrait techniques applicable to each.

Remember that family portraits are not that much different than traditional group pictures (except there's usually a lot more yelling and embarrassing sounds).

Bottom line, would you want any of them turned into a framed family portrait? If you can capture the magic (new window opens)... that elusive and hard to pin down chemistry between the couple, then you almost can't ruin the picture.

For example, how many "different" photographic factors took place in this picture? To start with, it's not a typical half or three quarter portrait. This family portrait pose is an extreme close-up. Also, part of the man's head is "cut off" for dramatic effect. No, it wasn't a cropping mistake.

That's one of the great things about photography... there are guidelines, but it is also a creative art, where you are always free to push the envelope; especially with family portrait poses.

Notice anything else? For one thing, couples normally face the camera. But this time not only aren't they looking at the camera, they are not looking at each other, or even facing the same direction!

Plenty of photographic instructors will tell you to always have your subjects look at the camera. That is a "rule" that should only be followed when it makes sense.

For this family portrait pose, it doesn't. How do we know? We only have to look at the photograph to see that for THIS couple in THIS family portrait pose THE PICTURE "WORKS." And in photography, that's THE REAL BOTTOM LINE.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when capturing family portrait poses that produce a profound emotion.

In this particular photo:

• The dad is asleep while the baby is not. Generally, the easiest approach to this type of portrait is to first pose the parent, then wait for the baby to fall asleep.

• This type of shot begs using unique camera angles. Try numerous compositions and angles, once the subjects are set.

• Probably the most challenging (and the most creative) part is to not automatically take the same kind of shots you have always taken. Think about doing things for the first time. As they say, "See with photographer's eyes!"

They will automatically put their arms around each other, hold hands, or move their heads together. After enough "standard wedding poses," they automatically assume the position.

You might think: "What's wrong with that? Then the pressure's off me." The problem is that those portrait poses are usually going to wind up looking lifeless, boring, and "typical." But the worst thing... they don't look natural!

Anyone can take family portrait poses that look like cardboard figures. But, you can to do so much better than that. Rather than just let the couple leap into their standard couples pose, gently give them directions.

Think about it - how often have you noticed people taking portraits of others where they actually gave them directions to create a better pose? That is very rare, AND it is precisely what will dramatically improve your family portrait poses.

Here are some very simple examples:

• "Jim, how about if you get behind Marge and put your arm loosely around her neck?"
  
  
• "Hey guys, forget I'm here, look into each other's eyes, and then think back to ______."
  
  (Depending on the type of pose desired; remind them of a funny, sensitive, emotional, or loving event in their life.)
  
  
• Suggest various position changes such as one person standing and one sitting, looking at directions other than directly at the camera, or using your environment (tables, statues, columns, trees, boulders, etc.).

Once you have them posed in a comfortable position, you can fine tune it with slight adjustments of jewelry, head, and hand positions.

So, what do you notice about this family portrait pose? Yes, it's outside (or in a really big house with a tree inside it). What else do you notice?

Is it centered? Sort of? What do you think of the tree? Do you feel it adds or detracts from the shot?" (You are the one who gets to decide, you know.) And, what's the deal with the out-of-focus woman in the background?

OK, let's tackle these one at a time in "Small Family Portrait Poses 201"...

It's time to talk about "composition." The challenge with composition is that while photography is both art & science, "composition" remains firmly in the "art" camp.

In photography, symmetry is not necessarily a preferred result. Although most group pictures have the group nicely centered, you can take more creative liberties with smaller groups (say 2 or 3 people). Here's another word for "centered." It's boring.

Refer back to the photo above, ignoring the person in the background for the moment. Of course the portrait could have been taken using the same pose, but without the tree. What do you think... better or worse?

One nice thing about photography is that every photo is subjective. It's not like math where no matter how much you want 2+2 to equal 5, it just doesn't. So, back to the tree... do you like it better in or out of the picture? Personally, I feel it adds an element of interest and balance to the photo. And, that's essentially the same reason for the grassy area on the left.

The woman was in the background because the wrong F-stop was used. Basic rule of thumb: If you want to have the subjects in the foreground AND the background to be in focus, use a smaller aperture (higher F-stop) such as F/11 through F/22.

For example, if you're taking family portrait poses in front of the White House, you would probably also like the White House to be in focus, rather than be blurred out. That's when you use a small aperture.

If, however, you were taking several family portrait poses in front of a row of ugly buildings, you would probably want to blur the background as much as possible. In this case, you would use as LARGE an aperture (small F-stop number) as possible.

Back to the sample photo. The F-stop used was F/32, so even though the background woman was around 150 feet away, you could still sort of tell she's there. Had an F-stop of 4 or 5.6 been used, the woman would be a non-distracting blur.

Here is the final photograph used with the same family portrait pose. To achieve it, we used a highly coveted, secret photography trick to eliminate the background distractions... we waited until the woman moved out of the frame!

As an alternative, we could have repositioned the camera about 15 degrees to the left, thus eliminating the background woman from the field of view.

The main point is this:

Think about the details BEFORE taking important shots of family portrait poses. As long as your objective is to take the best possible family portrait poses, remember the details.

This particular example falls under the heading of "dramatic family portrait poses." And the best part is that not only is it stunning but it's actually easy to take.

The simplest way to achieve family portrait poses like this one is to use one of the following:

• The "Portrait mode" (or equivalent) setting on your digital camera

• The telephoto setting to fill your viewfinder with the final desired image.

• Physically move closer to fill your viewfinder.

This a good time to use a bounce-flash (from an external flash unit).

If that is not available, move as far as possible from the subjects (while still being within the range of your on-camera flash), and let your subjects fill the picture frame.

If taking this type of group pictures outside, it's best to take it in other-than-direct-sunlight. Find a solid color background (a building wall will do), and wait for a little cloud cover to happen. Overcast sky? Even better.

Optional themes for family portrait poses like this include:

• Forehead-to-forehead

• Nose-to-nose, but not smiling

• Very close together, but not touching. One person a few inches higher-looking down; other person lower-looking up

• Any portrait pose above, with one subject softly placing their open hands on the cheeks of the other

Here is a "Good News" Trifecta:

1. Cropping is often the easiest tool to use in any photo-editing software.

2. There are several outstanding (and FREE) photo-editing software packages available, such as the acclaimed open-source favorite, GIMP.

3. We are so impressed with GIMP that we have developed a Free GIMP Starter Package comprised of 3 Video Tutorials. The first video shows each step for locating, downloading, and installing GIMP onto your computer. More information...

This particular family portrait pose is derived from the one above. There are several interesting points to notice in this example.

The most important thing to remember is that there are often photo masterpieces "hidden" within otherwise average-looking pictures.

The best time to catch these is following the download of the original photograph to your computer.

On the other hand, if you do see the potential while taking the original picture, experiment with changing your camera's mode to "Macro" and move in very close to fill the frame, as shown here.

Another creative approach is "breaking the rules" and taking a close up (or executing the crop, if it is after the fact) in the vertical Portrait Orientation, rather than the traditional horizontal Landscape Orientation. In this case, the Portrait Orientation beautifully captures this wonderful mother and child family portrait pose.

Rather than use the couch or love seat, which would have severely limited posing options, we used a weight-lifting bench as a unique focal point.

In addition, the fireplace screen is a good background "prop," that forms a partial photographic frame, as well as making the fireplace more recognizable.

This group picture required all three family members to be positioned about two feet off the ground. That means the camera better not be higher than three feet maximum. Why?

Because for most family portrait poses, the camera needs to be at eye-level with the subjects. If not, the perspective and composition will generally not look very good.

What is truly unique about this family portrait pose is that two of the three heads are partially blocked, adding a slight spontaneous feel to the picture.

Important in this pose is to use as high an F-stop number as allowable on your camera. By doing that, you will insure that all three subjects are in focus, although at different distances from the camera.

Family Portrait Ideas

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This Clever Group Shot Entitled: "Three Friends" Is a standout example of a photograph that does everything well. Amanda Starry of Avondale, AZ demonstrates that wondrous examples of family portrait poses don't require two hours of preparation. If you would like to see your image show-cased on this page, submit your pictures here and feel free to submit more than one.

Show Off Your Group Portraits

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Group Portraits From Around the Globe...

Discover new poses, ideas, perspectives, tips, and techniques used by other visitors to create group portraits. Simply click on the links below.