Family portrait

If you don’t have much experience with Family portrait photography, there is no need to worry. You can also do it right. Family portraits are important and are treasured forever. Getting them right is always a priority for people. You will require something more than a great camera to capture the perfect shots.

The following tips can help you shoot great Family portrait pictures.

1. Close Gaps

Most of the time, you will be taking traditional group shots. You should try to squeeze family members as close as possible to create a sense of closeness. Any gaps will decrease the feeling of intimacy.

2. Use Manual Exposure Mode

If you set up the exposure in Aperture/Shutter priority, the camera can use different exposure for different frames. It is recommended to maintain consistency by using Manual Mode.

Same of the advantages of using manual mode exposure include:

  • Reducing post-processing work
  • Preventing colour shifts
  • Decreasing noise

Every time you change the location, pose, and other factors, re-check the exposure.

3. Pose to Flatter

Get the family members to pose in ways that flatter their physical features. For example, if someone is fat they will not like their shots no matter how you adjust the lighting or other factors.

The key is to play with the right poses to hide their flaws and bring their best features out.

  • If someone has double chins, use a higher camera angle so that they have to look up and stretch their chin and neck.
  • If someone has a pear-shaped body, avoid posing them walkway away.
  • If they have a bump on a nose, shoot from another side to hide it.
  • If there is a big height difference between a couple, ask the taller person to stand with their feet apart.
  • If someone is heavy and is self-conscious about it, ask them to lie down in the grass and get the kids to pile on top.

4. Let Kids be in their Natural State

When it comes to Family portrait photography, it is common for parents to ask children to behave and smile. That puts most kids in the state of ‘performing’ or acting. The right way to go about it is to let kids be in their natural state.

  • If children don’t want to sit and smile, there is no need to force them
  • Let them play and have fun and shoot that
  • When you cooperate with them, there is a good chance they will sit for some time for the photo-shoot

Make funny noises, sing songs, and make funny facial gestures to get the kids interested and engaged in the session.

5. Capture Share Family & Group Portraits with Right Focus

Right focus is important for capturing sharp family and group portrait photos. It is recommended to follow these tips to achieve the desired results:

  • Make sure organizing and shooting are managed by different individuals
  • Ask everyone to line-up their toes to prevent the common problem of individuals at the ends curling up to form a U-shape
  • If multiple rows are required, ask the people in the two rows to be as close as possible. If you can avoid multiple rows, it will be better.
  • If there are multiple rows, the focus must be on the person in the front and center

It is important to choose the right aperture when shooting a Family portrait. Keep in mind that the highest number is not the sharpest aperture for a lens. It is in the range f/8 to f/11. And if you have to get everyone in a large group in a single picture, you should target this range.