Family portrait ideas – Tips to recreate & capture family moments

Portrait photography is definitely a Herculean task when compared to capturing inanimate subjects. So it is no wonder that the task becomes more challenging once you have more number of people to capture in the same frame. Family-portrait-photography ideas are challenging, but they can also be a very rewarding experience in the end. Family portrait ideas are meant to see and capture the happiness and love of a family, which is a great joy for any photographer. These tips will help you understand how to take family portraits.

Family portrait ideas

Communication is the first tip when it comes to family portraits. You need to make sure that everyone is on the same page. By everyone, we mean you and the family. Make sure they have the place and the time of the shoot correct. If need be, send them a reminder a day or two before, to make sure that the shoot is still on.

1. The next thing to take care of is the kind of portrait they are looking for and what you can do about it. Brainstorm ideas with the family and be open to suggestions. We’ll discuss some creative ideas that you can try a little later.

2. Another important thing is to always work with a set timeline. This will help you use outdoors as much as possible. You should keep in mind the season and the kind of surrounding background you want to capture in the portrait.

3. Since we are discussing time, location is another aspect you need to decide on. Listen and ask what kind of location would be ideal for the family. A family with children might prefer to be in a park with kids running around and having fun along with the shoot, whereas a big family might just want a beach shoot.

4. Family portraits mean that we want to capture a special moment, and so it is important that people are dressed properly. Choosing the wardrobe is an important part. You can give suggestions and play around with colors to add effects in the photos.

5. Another thing you should think of is the accessories, if you need any for the shoot. Decide what is needed and who needs to arrange for these props. These can be anything, from simple books to fun elements like big, colorful frames.

6. While shooting with a tripod is a great idea for you, people need to be comfortable too, and so it is important to make sure you arrange people based on their comfort. Mix and match people, and use their unique body structures to add elements of natural and distinctness to the photographs. Flatter them and conceal their flaws with photography. Let kids be goofy and let them have fun, and more importantly, have fun yourself.

Essentials while clicking family portraits

Use a wider lens in family-portrait photography. You need to make sure that you get a lot of depth of field, and so, do not use long focal lengths for short distances with group shots. A super-wide lens will lead to distortion. Keep in mind the size of the group while choosing your lens. Generally, the larger the group, the wider you will go. A mid-range lens like 24–70 mm is a good choice. When it comes to your shutter speed, monitor it. If the aperture is too small, the shutter speed will suffer and you’ll blur the image. Something like 1/100th of a second (depending on the focal length) is good. The ISO should be kept at medium. If you choose a higher value, it will introduce a lot of noise in your images. Another important tip while taking family portraits or any group photo is to keep everyone from blinking. A simple tip is to make them close their eyes, count till three, and let them all open their eyes together.

Creative family portrait ideas

Family-portrait photography can be fun if you make it fun. Some creative family-portrait ideas are listed below:

• Coming soon photos
• Family gallery or family word
• Using spiral effect – inception
• Location like your favorite ice cream shop or café
• Levitation – flying family

With these tips, you can master the art of taking some truly great family portraits. Family-portrait ideas will help you see how photography can actually capture moments and emotions, and turn them into life-long treasures.