Have a quick look around our website and social media pages and you’ll see that our photography style is natural, fun and active. You’ll likely to see lots of laughter, cuddles, tickles and maybe even some running around being silly. We just don’t specialise in heavily posed, studio-style portraits.
I promise the pictures you’ll love most at the end of your session are those that capture a real moment. But we know that for some people, being in front of the camera isn’t their favourite place to be. So we’ve put together five posing tips to give you a great base to fall back on whenever you’re not sure what to do. But once you’ve warmed up, please feel free to ignore them all and focus on kissing your wife, tickling your son, hugging your husband or calling your daughter a silly name!
1. Adults only
Kids don’t need to pose. They’re beautiful, flawless and innocent, with none of our adult insecurities. Let’s capture them as they are and show them at the same time that photos can be fun.
2. Forget about it
Firstly, forget everything you’ve previously read or heard about posing. There’s all sorts of crazy stuff that gets said like sticking your tongue on the roof of your mouth, putting your hand on your hip (I’m a Little Teapot style), poking your chin out and more …. The reason we don’t really want you to do any of these things is that they suck the personality and life out of the photos – it’s very hard to share a real moment with your family while you’re being a teapot!
Remember that this isn’t a fashion shoot, it’s a fun portrait session with your family. Relax and enjoy it, and let us worry about making the pictures look beautiful.
3. Many hands make light work
The most common question we get is “What should I do with my hands?”. The normal go-to spots for hands in a posed photo (in your pockets, behind your back etc) can look too formal. So here’s an easier answer, that always works.
Just use them.
Hands look a lot more natural when they are doing something like hugging, tickling, poking. Some of your favourite people will be there with you, so wrap your arms around them. Don’t feel you have to hold them by your side, stiff as a board. Remember, we are looking for natural, fun photos!
4. Degree of separation
For any bigger family groups, we will often line everyone up, standing about 45 degrees to the camera, all facing in. Everyone just looks a little slimmer slightly side-on, and we all love that! But once you’re in this position don’t get too comfortable! We’re likely to ask you questions, get you laughing and interacting with each other, whilst staying in roughly the same position.
5. Wait in line
When you are standing slightly side-on to the camera, a great tip is to put most of the weight onto your front leg, and just use the back leg for balance and support. It just means all the muscles that the camera can see tighten up, and the flabby ones are at the back! Side note: you don’t get tighter the more you lean over, so don’t go crazy!
I hope these tips help just a little bit! We’ve got heaps more ideas about having fun with your kids and get them excited about a family portrait session over at our blog.
