Unless you’ve done some professional modeling, you’ll probably feel a little at a loss for how to pose. You may look up some family photo ideas in pinterest to get an idea of what you’d like to have photographed. You might find family photo poses awkward and think the process will feel really forced.

Guide to Family Photo Ideas

There are a lot of crazy terms that get thrown around to describe posing in the photography world. You might here things like lifestyle, documentary, portraits, formal, etc. Some photos are taken in studios and some are outdoors. So here’s a general guide to family photo poses and what you can expect at a session with me.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle can refer to a lot of different things. You’ll likely see this term a lot with in home photography. But it basically refers to trying to take natural photos of people interacting in their normal environment. The photographer is not a fly on the wall but more so setting up situations that might naturally occur to give the photos an authentic, genuine vibe. The major benefit of these kinds of photos is they tend to be really enjoyable. They aren’t really forced and the result is often natural, fun photos. My style tends heavily towards this.

Documentary

These photos are as real life as possible. The photographer tries not to interfere with the family and acts more as a photo journalist. This is really common for birth photography and some wedding photographers take this approach to one degree or another. There are some family photographers who operate in this style. These sessions tend to be very long as the purpose is more to document an event or tell a story. This is kind of what I do with my own kids quite a bit. And we probably all do all with our phones.

Traditional Portraiture

Traditional portraiture is often what my mom pictures when she thinks professional photography. Its everyone posed to a T and smiling at the camera. These can be done in studio or in more natural environments. While I don’t do my whole sessions like this I always want to include a couple photos where everyone is smiling at the camera. I think its important at least for posterity’s sake. But also grandparents love these photos and while they might not be exciting, they’re still important.

My Family Photo Ideas

So as I mentioned already, I’d likely describe my style as a combination of traditional and lifestyle photography. I like to keep my sessions short and sweet, simple and timeless. I want genuine smiles and laughs and a couple of those everyone is smiling shots. Family Photo Ideas are great but what is best is your family’s personal interactions. The way you throw your 2 year old up in the air so everyone smiles. The way your newborn stretches his little knees out. These are the things I want to take photos of. These are the best family photo ideas. The ones personal to you. If you’d like to start planning your portraits, contact me.