Funny Photos on Set Portraits on Set

Family portraits are great to display in your home and share with others. Posing a family can be tricky business, but it will provide pictures that you and others will remember and look back at for a lifetime.

1
Shoot around "golden hour" for the best outdoor lighting. Golden hour occurs when the sun is close to the horizon, and light has to travel through more atmosphere, making light better diffused, softer, and more even.^[1] The exact time of day will vary based on season and location, but a good rule of thumb for golden hour is the first hour after sunrise, and the last hour before sunset.^[2]
- To calculate golden hour, look up local sunrise and sunset time.
- If you want to shoot in the morning, start just before sunrise and shoot for the entire hour to get the breadth of golden hour effects.
- For evening golden hour shots, start an hour before sunset.
2
Take photos indoors to avoid unpredictable weather. If you don't feel like dealing with changing weather, plan for an indoor shoot. Whether it be in a studio or a public place, be sure the indoor environment has lighting that allows you to see the subjects of the photo but does not overexpose them.
- If possible, bring some of your own lights to better control the final outcome of the photos.
3
Keep the background simple. Remember that the focal point of the photos should be the members of the family. Try to avoid busy backgrounds that draw the eyes away from faces that contain horizontals or lines that pull the eyes away from the family.
- For indoor shots, try to shoot in bedrooms or living rooms with minimal amounts of furniture.
- When shooting outdoors, try to use fields or tree lines as backgrounds.
- If you use a shallow depth of field, backgrounds will blur more and it will bring more focus to the family.
4

Hang a sheet to use as a backdrop. Using a monochromatic sheet will create a simple backdrop for your photos. Ensure there are no wrinkles as these will be distracting.

1
Ask everyone in the family to wear coordinating clothing. Your family doesn't have to be wearing the same color clothing, but make sure the color schemes are complementary of one another. For example, yellows and purples work well with one another, so pick clothing out that follows this scheme.^[3]
- Determine if you want formal or casual photos and select outfits from there. If you want both, bring a change of clothes for each member of the family.
- Don't wear loud or distracting shirts since these will draw the eye of a viewer when you display them.
2
Start by taking candid poses. This is where individual personalities really shine in portraits. Ask the family to tell jokes or interact with one another while you have the camera on and ready to take their photos discretely. Doing this helps warm up the family to posing later on.
- Plan for candid photos so you can keep the camera on and ready at all times.
- To promote play and fun, bring props and toys for children to play with while you take photos.^[4]
3
Transition into posed photos. Get the family cozy with one another to avoid awkward spacing. Get close together when posing for a portrait. This allows everyone to fit into the frame if you have a large family. ^[5]
- Try to fit everyone in a straight line. Ensuring that everyone is in a line will help everyone be on the same depth of field so no one goes out of focus.
- Put taller people in the center of the line and shorter people at the edges of the group. If you need to make two rows, have the taller family members stand in the back and the shorter members in front.^[6]
- Stagger the height of your family's heads. Keep eyes moving through a portrait by having the members of the family at different levels. ^[7]
4
Find fun poses that fit the family. Whether it's an entire family squeezed onto a couch or seated around a dinner table, let the family have fun and create unique photos they will want to display.
- Consider using outdoor playgrounds to your advantage. Kids will love to play on these and it can generate fun poses on swings or monkey bars.

1

Use a tripod. This will help every photo taken from one location to look the same without any variance or shake. It will help your shoot go quicker and aid in posing the family.^[8]
2
Avoid having the family look towards the sun. This is almost a guarantee to have members of the family squinting and too harsh of light on their faces. Try to have them at an angle to the sun or wait for cloud coverage.
- Don't point the camera towards the sun, otherwise you run the risk of lens flare and multiple shadows.^[9]
3

Use a fast shutter speed to avoid motion blur. Families, especially those with kids, will move around a bit. Using a faster shutter speed will help capture the moments without any blur or distortion to the photos.^[10]
4
Take multiple photos of the same pose. Inevitably, there will be an individual who blinks or isn't smiling, so always take at least 5 pictures of the same pose. Try to capture the perfect moment for the family.
- Advise everyone in the photo to tilt their head slightly up to avoid any accidental double chins.
5
Make the family smile by using funny sayings. Everyone wants to convey a happy family photo, so ensuring everyone is smiling will make family photos go smoothly. For families with young children, try saying funny words like 'Cheese!' or 'Pickles!' to get a natural smile from them.
- If you smile while taking the photo, it will help promote the rest of the family to smile as well!^[11]

Add New Question

Question

How do you relax photography subjects?

Vlad Horol is a Professional Photographer and the Co-Founder of Yofi Photography, his portrait photography studio based in Chicago, Illinois. He and his wife Rachel specialize in capturing maternity, newborn, and family photos. He has been practicing photography full-time for over five years. His work has been featured in VoyageChicago and Hello Dear Photographer.

Professional Photographer

Expert Answer

Interact with them! Don't feel like you have to be stuck behind the camera during your whole session. The main goal should be to be present and to connect with the people you're working with. That will help them let their guard down and create a feeling of intimacy, and you'll be able to see that in the photos.
Question

My dad feels sensitive about his weight, so we haven't taken a proper family photograph since I was little. How can I make him feel more comfortable?

Tell him it's really important to you to have photos to remember this time in your lives. Try suggesting some different poses or angles that will be more flattering. Maybe he could stand behind someone or something, or sit in a chair? Try some different options and see what he likes best.
Question

Do we need to hire a photographer to take family portraits for any occasion where the family gets together?

No, you do not need to hire a photographer every time you have a family get-together. If you want to have photos of the event, you can use a tripod and a camera with a timer so you can set it up and then go pose. If you're out in a public place, you can just ask a passerby to take the photo.