Family & Group Photography Tips & Ideas

Preparation is always key in photography, especially when it comes to groups and parties who are sometimes hard to organise. Prepare your setting, be aware of your background and what is helpful or unhelpful in it. For example, if you are shooting outside, check the day before where the sun and shadow fall on the area you wish to use. If there are beautiful flowers near by, why not bring them into shot. However if there are weeds and dead plants you will probably need to make sure they are either dealt with in advance or kept out of shot. If you are inside check for doorways, mirrors, and other distractions and potentially ineffectual objects that may draw away from your subject matter. An easy alternative is to create a plain backdrop from white or coloured sheets. This gives a studio feel if the setting is fairly nondescript or not important to the shot, just be careful not to show the edges of the sheet in your images. Whatever you do, don't forget to take lots and lots of shots!

Prepare your poses.

Think in advance about the poses you would like your friends and family to adopt. Trying to think about them at the shoot will take time and you may find children get a little fussy after a while. Plan them in advance to save time and stress for everyone. Have you thought about positioning? You may wish to try arranging your subjects in a triangular shape, with the smallest members of the group at the front and the tallest at the back. This way everyone can see and be seen clearly. You should also consider your angles if you wish to give your photo a more contemporary feel. Think about having your subject lie on their fronts on the floor and get down to the same level. You could also shoot from above, having the stand in a group or circle and look up at you, or turn the portraiture to another part of the body, such as a photo of feet lined up on a bed or grassy backdrop, or focus on hands all being held. It may be a nice touch to take photos of similar looking family members, such as a mother and daughter alone, in profile against a plain backdrop. If you have an extended family group it may be nice to put 3 generations of the same family photographed together, for example Grandfather, Father and son(s).

Prepare your subject.

Make sure your friends and/or family are also prepared by getting them to not wear very similar or clashing colours on the day. It may be worth giving them an outline style to wear, the last thing you want is one member of the family in a tuxedo and another in jeans! Suggest spectacle wearers remove them once they are in position just for the shot, as reflections and glare from them can ruin a good photograph. To give a theme to the photograph you may wish to consider planning for the subjects to wear matching clothes. This doesn't mean costume or uniform, just something simple and classic such white shirts and/or jeans for a relaxed yet coordinated feel. It is quite popular to have everyone photographed in their pyjamas together if there are a lot of children in the shot and can help put them at ease if they are nervous.

Finishes.

Here at Photo In Canvas we have a number of special photo effects that can dramatically change the final look of your photograph. You may wish to leave the photo as a classic colour finish when it comes to print, no problem. Alternatively, for a timeless finish, try our black and white or sepia finishes, both free courtesy of Photo In Canvas. For a more personalised look you could try our colour splash or pop art effects. These range from black and white with just a splash of colour, through to a hand created digital portrait. You can view all our finishes here. Our team are dedicated, professional, and friendly. If you'd like to discuss an aspect of photo canvas printing you haven't seen on the site, just pop us an email or phone call using the details below and we'll be happy to talk you through it.