In this lesson: Learn the ins and outs of posing groups for a portrait

Family portraits can be a challenge simply because of the number of subjects in the shot. However, there are a few tricks you can use to make your family group shots more successful.

In the previous lesson, we explored a few tips that helped you create improved portraits of a single subject or a couple. Today, we tackle an even more complex task: photographing families.

Family portraiture is a greater challenge for a number of reasons, not the least of which you’re simply dealing with a larger group of people. That means that each time you depress the shutter, you need three, four, five, or more people to all have their eyes open and their smiles on at the same time. That can be a tall task in and of itself.

However, if you throw children into the mix, your job becomes more difficult still. Holding the attention of kids, especially young ones, can be downright impossible, especially if the kids just aren’t feeling it or if the photo shoot is at the wrong time of day (like naptime!).

Nevertheless, there are a few strategies you can employ to make your family portraits a better success.

Go Candid

Though posed, formal portraits certainly have their place, candid portraits are much, much easier to pull off. Rather than trying to get little Billy to sit still and smile for the camera in a formal shot, you can have the family relax, engage in some sort of activity (more on that in a minute), and otherwise take on a more natural pose, as seen in the image of the children kissing their mother.

The result? A more genuine photo that doesn’t require anyone to hold an awkward pose but also conveys a real sense of the relationship between the family members.

Photograph Activities

Another ideal way to photograph a family is to give them something to do. Whether that’s reading a book, cooking a meal, or playing outside, if each member of the family is distracted by engaging in an activity, the less you have to worry about people feeling uncomfortable and awkward in front of the camera.

And, as noted above about candid portraits, if the family is in the midst of some kind of action, they will appear to be more relaxed and natural-looking. Additionally, as seen in the image of the two boys and their father picking strawberries, there’s a definite intimacy and relational aspect to the image that would be difficult to replicate if the image was formally posed in a studio.

Keep Each Person on a Slightly Different Plane

Whether you go for candid, action, or formally posed shots, it’s important to keep each person’s head on a slightly different visual plane. Why? If each person’s eyes are at the same level, the image will appear too static and rigid, even if it’s a candid or action shot.

Instead, as seen in the sample image of the family and their dog, there is no instance of two people on the exact same visual plane. This gives the image a much greater level of visual interest, and, even though it’s a posed shot and there is no movement, it feels much more active. That’s because the eye has to work – move up and down, left and right – to view each person’s face. If the family were lined up in a perfectly horizontal line, the image wouldn’t have this level of engagement.

Challenge Activity

In this challenge activity, you will practice each of the three compositional “rules” discussed above. You can complete this activity with your own family, or if you have friends or neighbors that are willing, you can use them as subjects instead.

Step 1: Scout a location where a portrait can be taken. Remember the lessons from yesterday regarding the background, your camera positioning, and shooting angle when locating a spot for the photo shoot.

Step 2: Start with a posed shot, similar to the sample image of the three family members in the snow. Remember to place each person on a slightly different visual plane to create more interest.

Step 3: Once you’ve gotten your desired posed shot, indicate to your subjects that they can relax for a moment – but keep shooting. Often, in the moments between “formal” takes, the subjects will let their guard down, interact with one another, laugh, and so on, which gives you fodder for some nice candid portraits.

Step 4: Give the family an activity to undertake for some action-oriented shots. For example, you might instruct the family to build a snowman or have a snowball fight. Doing so will get them more focused on one another and less focused on posing for the camera.