I’ve used most of the ideas below successfully during family photo shoots.
1. Let kids play.
Sometimes it’s fun to just let kids play and capture some in-the-moment activity.
2. Focus on one individual.
Focus on one person. Everyone else in the photo can look at or interact with that person. This can make for great images to incorporate into a family photo album.
3. Have families interact together.
Having the family interact together can make for some great, more candid looking shots.
4. Involve everyone in a game.
I like to have people pretend to be in a photo booth and pose at the count of 3. This is often a fun activity and some of the best shots are the in-between moments.
5. Everyone walks together.
Shoot action shots of everyone walking together. Usually towards the camera works best, but sometimes away or in a different direction can work too.
6. Kids running towards camera.
This can be a lot of fun for the kids. Sometimes I vary it by putting parents out of focus in the background, or just walking slowly behind.
7. Ask everyone to look at each other.
Having families look at each other instead of at the camera tends to work well because their expressions can be more natural and shows their connection. This can also lead to laughter, which can be fun and looks great in photos.
8. Let the kids take a stab at posing parents.
I haven’t tried this one yet, but it sounds fun and a great way to make the kids feel more involved.
9. Use a prop.
Sometimes using a stuffed animal or toy to get the children to look and possibly even laugh, is necessary.
10. Have someone whisper a secret.
This can be cute with kids, but can also work well for adults. Having one person tell the other a private joke can lead to some great expressions.
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