How to Capture a Fun and Casual Family Portrait Photo?

Family photo shoots are sometimes a challenge even for professional photographers. It’s a big responsibility because a lot of people expect you to get a good shot. In addition, large families can be very difficult to organize. You have to show your best skills, feel comfortable, and find the best poses for each family member. You have to move around a lot. Speaking of comfort, you can check out the best 3-point slinger for a camera in an article on Skylum’s blog. This is a very useful thing when you have an active and responsible photo shoot.

Here we’ve gathered for you some tricks that will make any family portrait photo shoot fun and relaxed for both the photographer and his clients. If you heed some of the recommendations, you will be able to catch the best and most sincere shots that convey only love, tenderness, and joy.

Choose the most convenient time for the children

It may seem strange to you that we put this point at the top. Believe me, it makes a big difference. If you consider the child’s natural rhythm when planning a family photo session, you can avoid a lot of problems later on. Sleepy and hungry children behave nervously, may cry, and are very difficult to calm down. As a result, parents are also very nervous and distracted, and the photo session drags on. We recommend that you take care of the following aspects:

• Always be responsible in your planning. This is especially important if the family has several children with a large age difference.
• Have a pre-meeting. Find out what time parents consider the most comfortable for a photo shoot and discuss their wishes.
• Be flexible and adjust your schedule. This will show you from the good side, as a real professional, always ready to meet the demands.

Alternatively, you can take good shots early in the morning. Parents and children are awake, have had breakfast, and are in a good mood. Using the morning golden hour will be a bonus. Everyone will feel comfortable, and the soft natural lighting will make for very warm and sincere images.

Don’t forget that you will have to move around a lot because catching the right moment with little fidgety kids is quite difficult. It is very convenient to use camera slingers to secure your equipment from falling.

Help family members with their poses

Some people booking family photo shoots already have experience in posing, but this is quite rare. It is much more likely that you will still have to help with posing. Try to build rapport with your clients, and communicate in a fun and relaxed way. This will help everyone in the family feel more comfortable and take the most natural poses possible.

Make sure people don’t feel uncomfortable. When people are nervous at a photo shoot, they take unnatural poses and it looks quite fake. Also, try to get children interested, you may have to do the photos playfully. Even better if you schedule an activity for each family member. You can ask the family and children to run, dance, or even play hide and seek. While they are hugging and having fun, you get a great chance to photograph the sincerest and funniest moments.

Avoid unwanted shadows and watch the light

It’s best to make sure your subjects aren’t looking in the direction of the sun or bright light sources. You may think that posing with such bright sunlight will look good, but the result is not always pleasing as ugly shadows appear on the face. This is especially noticeable when you do portraits. Also, direct sunlight visually ages the skin and accentuates imperfections.

Give preference to softer lighting. It can be closer to noon or golden hour. If you notice that there isn’t enough light, you can always use additional tools when editing your image to save a successful shot. For example, in Luminar Neo you can create a realistic three-dimensional freshening. AI analyzes the image and selects the most lifelike light.

Don’t neglect the environment

Shooting will be more comfortable not only for the family but also for you if you take care of a few things beforehand. Thoroughly check all camera settings for exposure, and assess the composition. Also, pay attention to weather conditions and safety. This is very important if you are working with young children.

You can worry a lot less about the safety of your equipment if you buy a good point slinger for the camera. This is a very popular product among both beginners and professionals.

Choose matching outfits and the right location

Photos will look more harmonious if all family members are dressed in the same style. Clothing in similar colors and shades creates a warm sense of family unity, and that’s fine. It is best to avoid too bright options, as they will attract unnecessary attention in the frame. The same goes for large prints on t-shirts.

Family portrait photo shoots outdoors are always a great solution. Here you have a lot of room for imagination and plenty of subjects to interact with. Choose the locations where the family enjoys spending time the most. These can also be locations that you have fond memories of (such as the place where the couple got engaged).

What conclusions will we draw?

With the right approach, a family photo session will be an exciting adventure for you and help you add fun and sincere work to your portfolio. Here you will have to demonstrate all your best professional and social skills. It’s a lot of fun as you help capture joyful family moments with fast-growing children.

Don’t forget about your comfort either. Choose clothing that doesn’t constrain movement so you don’t get distracted during the photo shoot. Pay attention to the options for a comfortable 3-point slinger for a camera described in an informative article on Skylum’s blog.