Have you ever had a friend or family member come try and take some family photos and felt awkward because you didn’t know how to pose or what to wear? Do you take countless photos with your phone but never take the time to get them printed or organized? It seems today with technology at all our finger tips photography isn’t as fun or meaningful as it can be. To try and “bring sexy back” to photography we put together a list of some of our family photo tips so you can get the most out of your family photos. Below are the Burton’s and their family beach portraits measured up against all our tips. You can look at them for examples.
Pick a Palette. Deciding what to where can always be VERY stressful when trying to dress a group. Everybody has their own ideas about what looks good. Your clothing is meant to enhance your look, not distract from it. Our best advice to accomplish that is to stick to three colors at the most. Then you’re coordinating and everyone can wear their own style. Along with liking what you’re wearing, picking something that flatters is key. If something doesn’t fit right, you won’t be comfortable and it will show. The Burton’s picked blue, white, and a red/coral color. Everything goes great together so your eye isn’t distracted by something that feels out of place or mismatched.
Bend the Body. In life we are constantly moving around. Bending our knees to run, sit, or jump. We bend our arms to wave at someone, eat, text, and work. We turn our heads to get a different point of view whether we want to get the sun out of our eyes or get a better look at something far away. The point is, you need to be natural and bend the body when you take your photos. Don’t stand or sit stiff. In every single family portrait of the Burtons they have bend in the body. They look alive with natural movement. Notice the hand on the hip, sitting cross legged, an arm behind someone, and even holding hands.
Get Goofy. Here’s your chance to really showcase who you are. Feel free to make jokes, laugh, dance, and just be exactly who you are. We realize this is easier said than done, but look at any two photos where one group is sitting in a perfect pose with stiff smiles to the camera and the other is the first family photo in our collection below. None of the Burtons are looking at the camera and it almost looks like it could be a candid shot between actual shots. That’s the beauty of getting goofy. We’d rather look at the Burton’s any day because their photo tells a story as each person is expressing part of their personality.
Hire a Professional. This is probably the best tip we can give you about family photos. We hear over and over how people are taking all of their photos with their phone but doing nothing with them. They just sit on the phone or a hard drive waiting for someone to “get to it” so they can be organized, printed and put on display. On top of that, lighting, focus, framing, making sure everyone has fun and getting the shot is what we do. It makes for a stress free experience after which we offer you a variety of ways to make a keepsake you can display or share for years and years to come.
Hopefully these tips come in handy as you take your next trip or have a fun family day you want to remember. If you have any tips you’d like to add, please do so in the comments below.
If you like what you see but want to see more, check out more of our Pure 7 Families and their family beach portraits.
If you’ve seen enough and you’re ready to book your next session. Contact us for pricing and availability ASAP! Our calendar is filling up fast.
Leave A Comment