Family Group Photos: 5 Things to Watch

We’re coming up on the season of family photographs: family reunions, high school and college graduations, summer visits with the relatives. Now that you’ve got a new DSLR, or smartphone with an even better camera, there’s no reason that you shouldn’t be taking your best ever family group photographs. Right?

Great gear gives you a leg up, but you’re still in charge of composition. Here’s a short checklist for a few things to keep an eye on.

Group Shots: the Basics
– Can you can see every person’s face?
– Because folks are bunched together, are there any unruly shadows on faces or other places?
– Is everyone posed in a flattering position?
– Is clothing (and anything that’s being held) looking good?

Placing People
You may be staging a traditional sitting pose or thinking casual standing pose. Either way, it’s a courtesy to place the oldest member(s) of the family first–-grandma/grandpa or mom/dad. Next, begin adding in family members. Working in this manner means you do not have shuffle around the more senior folks in your photo.

Not Stiff as a Board
If you have a Puritan family then maybe yes, perfect posture and blank stare shots may be what you’re after. Chances are though that you’ll want personalities to shine through. Tell the group that you’ll need to take several shots—this usually elicits a groan. Be at the ready because this may be the prime instant to catch the gang in a relaxed state.

After a few shots take the camera away from your eye. Tell the group to move around, but without moving their feet: shake, stretch, roll eyes, chit chat for a second. Regain their attention, do a quick check for shadows and fire of a few before ‘formally’ directing them into position again.

Eye Blinkers
There’s always one in the crowd—the eye blinker. Try this obvious tip: tell everyone to freeze and shut their eyes. Tell them when they hear “3” to open wide and give a genuine grin. Give a slow and steady 1 – 2 – 3 and be ready to fire off a succession of photo (most cameras have a multi-shot setting). Be sure to check what you get on the back LCD.

Move a Little Closer
Touchy-touchy. Tell the group to get closer so they are touching one another. Let the emotions show. You don’t want gaps between subjects. If the family is close, or the photo needs to showcase love (think parents holding their newborn), squeeze ‘em together.

So you’ve just created a smashing set of family photos. You’ll likely upload and share to social media sites or email to the gang. Wouldn’t be a great to also prep prints of the best shots and send to grandparents? Even better, make photo enlargements to frame, or order a few photo canvases to celebrate the moments. You can do all of this at Winkflash.com.

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