The magical property of photographs stops time and transports us from tragic everyday life to the happiest days. With the help of a family photoshoot, it is easy to save precious moments spent together with loved ones for extended memory. Imagine what tenderness you will be reviewing a family photo in a few decades. For the shooting to be successful, you need to prepare for this important event carefully. Therefore, I suggest you familiarize yourself with my tips for organizing a family photoshoot.
Which is Better: A Family Photo in The Studio or Nature?
There is no definite correct answer to how and where it is better to hold a photoshoot. Each family chooses a place based on personal desires and financial conditions. For some, the main thing is to shoot in their favorite park. For others, the comfort that the photo studio will provide is essential.
Picturesque natural locations and modern city streets beckon to take new photos. But how do you guess the weather so that a chilly wind or rain does not spoil a family photoshoot? Rely on luck, rely on the long-term forecast of weather forecasters, or think of backup options in case of bad weather.
A family photoshoot in nature is beautiful. Blooming gardens and green forest edges, amusement parks, and city streets with Christmas trees and winter garlands are available to you. And what are magical sunsets worth!
Arrange a picnic in nature, go to the zoo with your family. Young children will walk quietly, not realizing that they participate in a responsible and exciting event. While in an unusual confined space, they will be nervous or cry.
Beautiful family photos will turn out in the studio even in the coldest winter or rainy autumn (read more – 100 Autumn Family Photoshoot Ideas). Choose any available outfits, complicated hairstyles, and don’t worry about the wind ruining your appearance. Modern studios offer hundreds of options for interiors and decorations.
You can choose a plain background or a cozy-themed photo zone. But shooting in the studio is strictly limited in time. But small children will be able to safely go to the toilet, change clothes, relax and have a snack.
Kids don’t like to sit in one place for a long time. Long-term shooting in the same room will tire young models. Therefore, knowing the child’s character prepares toys and entertainment for him.
How Many People can Participate in A Family Photoshoot?
Involve absolutely all family members in a family photoshoot. The more a person is in the frame, the more emotions and smiles the photo will radiate. A family photoshoot involves at least three people: mom, dad, and child.
Sometimes the baby may be in the mother’s tummy at this time. A year later, you can repeat the photoshoot in the same place to get shots in the fashionable style of “before” and “after.”
Most often, parents and their children participate in a family photoshoot. It is becoming more and more popular to come to the shooting for generations. In this case, parents, children, grandchildren, and sometimes great-grandchildren will be in the frame.
For a gripping photo, the shooting participants can be located at different levels, thereby filling the entire frame with themselves. Stairs, benches, sofas, chairs are suitable as interior and decorations. Grandchildren can sit on the hands or knees of the older generation, and adults can stand or comfortably sit on the floor.
The main secret of a family photoshoot, regardless of the number of people, is warm emotions and love. All ideas for a memorable family photoshoot in the studio or outdoors should show your family’s history and demonstrate your attitude to each other.
Is It Possible to Take Pets for Photoshoot?
If you want to take a souvenir photo with your pet, this is real. Your family photoshoot can occur at home, outdoors, or in a photo studio. Pets like to take an active part in the filming. It can be dogs, cats, hamsters, or rabbits. It’s fun to play with them, lie on the grass, and walk along the coast.
The main thing for a photo shoot with an animal is to take water, a carrier, or a cage for the pet. Family shooting will take at least an hour, and most likely, the animal will not be involved in every frame. For his safety and your peace of mind, place your pet in a carrier or put it on a leash.
Makeup for A Family Photoshoot
The right makeup for a photoshoot can work wonders: remove round cheeks, hide a large nose, enlarge eyes. Before shooting, it is better to contact a professional makeup artist. Even if you know how to make spectacular makeup for everyday life, it will not look perfect in the photo.
Makeup artists use denser tonal means in their work, which carefully hide flaws and defects of the skin. With the help of professional blush, shadows, and pigments, makeup becomes saturated and persistent. At the same time, the skin on the face looks so correct with a flash that it does not require further retouching in Photoshop.
It is important not to overdo it with makeup. If mom is brightly made up, then grandma should also do makeup. So the family photo will look harmonious. It’s not a shame to make light makeup for men, but it’s worth limiting yourself to matting powder. The youngest fashionistas lightly paint their lips and make a barely noticeable blush.
Hairstyles for A Family Photoshoot
As a hairstyle for a family photoshoot, long curls, straight loose hair, and any styling are suitable. Consider the idea for the shoot and your outfit. You can do your hair or make an appointment with a specialist before a photo shoot.
Don’t get carried away with hairspray and gel. Too much of the product makes the hair in the photo dirty. You should not use glitter polish; it will look like dandruff in the pictures.
If there is no time to create a hairstyle, wash your hair and dry it with a hairdryer. Use hats, wreaths, hairpins, or other accessories. If mom and little daughter make the same hairstyles or decorate their hair with ribbons of the same color, stylish and funny pictures will turn out.
When planning a family photoshoot, make sure that all the ladies look great but not too bright. Persuade your grandmother to make up her lips and eyes without fail! It is not ethical if one of the women in the family photo outshines the rest of the relatives with her brilliance and beauty, so everything should be in moderation.
Clothes for A Family Photoshoot
All the ideas of family photoshoots are directly related to the location of the shooting. The background for the photos, the outfits of the models, and their poses should harmoniously complement the overall picture.
For a photo studio made in light shades, it is better to take bright colors of clothes. For colored halls – opt for plain and white dresses and shirts. In nature, it is better to avoid green shades to not merge with grass and trees.
Classic suits, high heels, and luxurious dresses will be appropriate in the chic interiors of the photo studio. Shooting in a sandbox or an amusement park implies a sporty style or casual.
A win-win option is the same clothes of dad and son, mom and daughter. At a family photoshoot, the entire male half of relatives can be in plain shirts, and girls can choose bright-colored neck scarves.
Accessories for A Family Photoshoot
A family photo session in the studio will help bring new emotions and topics of conversation to the family, discussing which all family members will come up with ideas for photos together. There are many topics for filming. You can associate them with a hobby or profession, with a movie or a fairy-tale plot.
As for accessories for a family photoshoot, use:
- flowers;
- balloons;
- numbers symbolizing an important date or age;
- letters that make up the words “family,” “mom,” “dad”;
- children’s drawings;
- photos of parents at a young age;
- cubes;
- plush toys;
- soap bubbles;
- drums and musical instruments;
- balls.
In addition to the usual accessories for a photoshoot, you can use things. With the help of original ideas, change the reality in the photo. Take vegetables, fruits, or flowers to “dress up” the model and get a creative frame. To do this, you need to place the decorative element in front of the lens correctly. So, an upside-down lily flower can become a skirt for mom, a mushroom will turn a baby into a cook with a cap on his head, and carved figures of bright fruits will become elegant clothes for girls.
Advantages of Shooting in A Studio Space
You can have an exciting photoshoot with the whole family anywhere: at home, in nature, in an amusement park. But for perfect photos, it is the photo studio that is best suited. Here are some of its advantages:
- Comfortable Conditions. Regardless of the time of year, the photo studio is warm and cozy. Do not be afraid of wind or rain. There is always a place for preparation with large mirrors in the room. It is convenient to change outfits, makeup and hairstyle there. Photo studio decorations make it possible to make any ideas come true, even with the latest technologies.
- Lighting. Almost every studio has large panoramic windows, due to which you can get beautiful photos with natural light. The presence of several types of spotlights, reflectors, and softboxes allows the photographer to adjust the lighting to take high-quality pictures independently. Due to the play of shadow and light, it is easy to develop creative shots.
- Interior. Any photo zone has an initial design with beautiful furniture and seasonal attributes. Those who wish to hold a thematic photoshoot can choose a studio that suits the style or order the decoration from the decorators.
Poses for A Family Photoshoot
For a photoshoot with children and the family, you can develop many options for poses. Many of them will appear by themselves during the shooting. Just start posing, and restless children will help you. Take advantage of some of my ideas for a family photo shoot:
- Children in the arms of their parents. The original frame will turn out if you sit on the sofa and put even adult children on your lap.
- Mom and dad hold the child’s hands and rock.
- A strong husband lifts his wife on his shoulders, and she takes the baby to her. It will turn out to be a pyramid.
- A double kiss. Children can kiss their mother on both cheeks or vice versa – parents will kiss their baby.
- Lying on the bed or the grass. The whole family fits in a row, peeking out from under the blanket or dangling bent legs.
- Photo in flight or jump.
- The whole family can stand in one column and look out to the sides.
Options for Creating Children’s Photos
The idea of a family photo shoot with a child may depend on the age and gender of the baby. Images of ballerinas, princesses, mermaids, or animated flowers will suit girls for thematic filming. As for boys, ideas related to male professions are relevant for them. The boy can be a sailor, a military man, a superman.
Make staged shots against the background of the appropriate entourage. For a realistic look, add accessories. Let the young ballerina try on pointe shoes, and the novice doctor brandishes a toy syringe.
For a family photoshoot, you can choose any children’s fairy tale or cartoon plot. Depict the famous fairy tale toons with family members. It’s great if parents and children have fun, play, and jump. At a family photoshoot, emotions are essential, sometimes feigned: surprise, bewilderment, fear. Act out staged prank scenes:
- children draw markers on the sleeping dad or mom’s face;
- the baby sits astride the parent as if on a horse;
- brother and sister messing around in the kitchen with eggs or flour;
- a naughty child managed to tie his parents with a rope;
- little fashionistas with lipstick kissed dad or a pet.
Special attention should be paid to the photos in which the baby acts as the primary model. Even a sleeping child can become a participant in a photoshoot. Interesting shots will determine if the baby is put in a convenient basket or a special decorative egg.
Photos with the legs and arms of babies are popular. The palms and heels look especially impressive against the background of the parents’ huge hands and feet.
A Few More Ways to Make A Photo Special
A professional, experienced photographer will take family photos beautifully in any condition. Run down the street, jump over each other’s backs, climb on the horizontal bar on the playground. Make random shots by dressing up the whole family in Batman or Spiderman. Choose an idea that will give the family pleasure.
Use frames of different colors and sizes signs with inscriptions, phones as accessories for photography. Hold the frame so that one of the family members becomes a “live photo” in the frame. Ask the photographer to use the processing to make a fashionable picture-in-picture shot. As a result, all family members will appear in one photo of each other in the frames at once.
Change emotions: smile, be surprised, stick out your tongue. Take your phones and take selfies to point the screen at the camera lens. The real picture will turn out to be your double photo.
Use strange or unusual angles. With their help, you can distort the proportions and get a giant child. In the same way, you can show with what trust and faith a tiny baby looks at his big and strong parents.
Another exciting idea is to make a photo-shifter. It will work best in a prone position when family members are stacked with their heads to each other.
Musical Dynasty
An original idea for a family photo shoot is to transform into a musical group, classical performers, or pop stars together. Choose the style that is closer to you.
- Try on the image of a rock family. Put on leather clothes, put bandanas on your head. This idea will be relevant for those families with a lot of men. Let the grandfather, father, and son participate in the production – they can perform on an improvised stage. Complete the plot with musical instruments. The ladies will not stay away either. They will act as a support group or groupies.
- Try to portray classical musicians as if from a real orchestra. To do this, use strict costumes and any musical instruments. You can make a couple of serious shots and standard poses. And then make a riot against the rules, take off your ties, unbutton your shirts, start dancing and having fun.
- Support your children’s passion. Turn into fashionable rap artists. The main elements of such an image are wide trousers, T-shirts, bright hoodies, hats, caps, and neck chains. You will remember such a creative photoshoot for a long time.
Use Proper Body Language
The most original family photos sometimes do not require unique props. Turn on your imagination. Draw shapes, letters, and words with your body. For this kind of productions, you will need a monochrome background.
Family members can pose to make the letters L, O, V, E. Parents can use their hands or brushes to make a heart shape, and the photographer will catch such a frame so that children are in the heart.
Creative shots are obtained in the prone position. To do this, the participants of the family photoshoot pose on the bed or the floor on a blanket. The whole family can find themselves in space, among the stars, the moon, and flying ships with an unusual angle and additional details.
Sleeping small children can easily be put in a basket with a stork, made wizards on a magic carpet, or flying heroes in superman costumes.
Communication of Generations
Family photoshoots with the participation of the older generation are becoming increasingly popular. You can take memorable photos for an important family holiday, such as an anniversary or a wedding anniversary.
Gather together representatives of all generations for a festive New Year’s photoshoot or a walkthrough of flower gardens. Touching thematic shots with military motives will turn out on the eve of Victory Day.
A family photoshoot, in which grandparents take part together with their children and grandchildren, always causes a lot of excitement. If there are a lot of participants in the shooting, then the process of working in front of the camera should be planned and organized.
Think in advance what poses and ideas you would like to get due to such a family photoshoot. Shoot scenes with the participation of the older generation and let them go home to take pictures with children in a calm atmosphere.
For memorable family photos, use standard poses. Sit down together on a sofa, bench, or grass. Embrace each other carefully, get up in pairs. Do you want a family photoshoot to be fun? Print out your favorite portraits in advance and use them as props during the shooting. A child’s head on a large muscular dad’s body or a grandfather’s portrait with a mother’s dress looks very funny.
Photo with A Pet – Why Not?
Don’t be afraid to involve your pets in a family photoshoot. Every day we receive warmth, kindness, and love from them. They are part of our life, family members and therefore also deserve the opportunity to take part in a family shoot.
Find out if you can bring your animals to the photo studio or go to a photoshoot in nature. Inform the photographer about your desire to shoot with a pet. He will tell you what details you need to pay attention to when preparing.
It is easy for our more minor brothers to find a wide variety of costumes in stores. If you want to get funny photos, then dress up your pet. It would be nice to choose a suit that matches the color of your outfit.
When taking a photoshoot with an animal, consider its character and habits. You will have to keep an eye on your dog, cat, or parrot. During the shooting, the animal may worry, run away, make a puddle in the wrong place or spoil the scenery. Be on your guard to avoid this.
Rest and Sleep is Also Important for Any Photoshoot
Everyone wants to look beautiful and fresh in the photo. Therefore, it is essential to rest and sleep before the photoshoot. Men should shave and get a haircut in a few days. For women, a mandatory stage of preparation for shooting is hairstyle and makeup. You should entrust your hair and face to a professional.
Makeup artists will remove the shine on the face, emphasize the eyes and lips, and gently style the hair. For mature ladies, there is unique rejuvenating makeup. Please do not skimp on your beauty; your mood and the result of photography depend on it.
Check whether the hairstyle and makeup are combined with clothes. The outfits of all participants of the family photoshoot should have the same style and overlap in colors. Ideally, all family members wear the same suits: jackets of the same color, vests, ties, or hats.
When coming up with an image and accessories for yourself and your loved ones, pay attention to the following essential points:
Idea. Choose a common idea as idea for a family photo shoot. You can conduct a classic or creative shooting. Perhaps you want to use funny outfits or unusual hairstyles, but the older generation is not ready for this. Parents should understand and approve of the plot. Invite them to take part in the preparation. Respect the opinion of all family members. Choose an idea and accessories for a photoshoot together.
Style. The shooting participants must look harmonious in the frame. Pay attention to the style, seasonality, and color scheme. Someone can’t get lost or stand out from others.
Comfort. An essential condition for successfully posing in front of the camera is comfort. Clothes, shoes, decorative accessories should not constrain movements and cause pain. Check that the costumes for children are not too hot or prickly.
When planning a family photoshoot, make an appointment with a makeup artist a few hours before the start of shooting. It is better to leave the children with their dads for this time. Let them arrive 20 minutes before the shooting. It is enough time to change clothes and get ready.
A family photoshoot can be a wonderful gift for each of the relatives. It will forever remain in the memory and on the photo album’s pages. Do not worry if some moments during the shooting did not meet expectations. Ignore an accidentally crumpled dress, a broken flower, or cloudy weather. Stay cheerful and energetic so that each photo conveys happiness, a good mood, and love for your loved ones.
