Getting a good family portrait that everyone is pleased with isn't easy. Children may make this especially difficult by either playing around or getting bored and giving the final photo a bad look. There are some things you can do, however, to get really interesting family portraits you will be proud to hang on the wall. Here are some tips.
Basics
Have everything ready ahead of time. Set up the camera on a tripod. Check to make certain the self-timer is working properly if you intend to be in the picture. Take a few test shots of the empty chairs to make certain the lighting is correct. Do what you can to frame the photo against a good backdrop. Make sure the flash unit is working and try to get it off the top of the camera. If you can, use a flash bracket to put the flash above the film plane and pointed down slightly. Use a diffuser for the flash. If you can't get it off the camera, bounce it off the ceiling.
Settings
If you want the standard family sitting and standing together photo, that's fine, but there are other things you can do. Don't just have everyone stare at the lens. Getting them talking and put them at easy. Make them comfortable. If you can use a remote shutter release, do so because then the family members won't know ahead of time when the photo will be taken. Take lots of photos. You don't have to get the "perfect" photo in one shot. The more photos you take, the more likely it is you will end up with at least a few really good ones. Try different settings, too. If you can get the whole group to stand together under a couple of trees, use it. Try a picnic table, too. Put some of them on their knees on the table with the rest sitting on the bench. Go to a park with a gazebo. Formal dress in such a setting will conjure up images of the late 19th century.
Make a Star
Make everyone the star of the show. Instead of just the family portrait poses, start by focusing on each member of the family, either by themselves or with others, but concentrating on one person. Especially with children, if you take shots that highlight each child, and show them the results (in the case of a digital camera) you will get them to pose better when you take the whole family together. Get groups of people together first, too, so you can get them comfortable with the camera and each other. Formal poses are nice, but having a friendly looking family photographed together will make them happier in years to come when they look at it.
Tags: ahead time, family portrait, make certain, them comfortable