Family portraits are difficult things. You have to get everyone together, and you have to book the photographer. Then you have to decide if you will wear matching outfits, coordinating outfits, nice clothes or casual clothes. You have to choose a location or a background if you are in a studio. Then you have to stand there for an hour, whilst the kids get bored and start acting up, just to get a standard photo of everyone looking in the same direction and smiling.
If you are thinking about trying something different with your family portrait, here are a few awesome family portrait ideas to get you thinking outside the box, as it were.
This family portrait pokes gentle fun at the mum, dad and baby portraits out there. Sure, it’s silly, but they do both look good, and it shows off their sense of humour in a way that will stay funny for years to come.
This clever portrait involves taking two photos. The first has to be loaded onto an iPad or other tablet or laptop, and the second is taken when the subject holds the device in front of their face. You do need to have enough devices for each person, though, so it’s not the cheapest option.
Technically, this breaks a fundamental photography rule – keep the main source of light at the camera’s back. But by positioning the family in front of the sunset, the photograph gets a cool silhouetted effect.
This photo is fantastic because although it feels very candid and spontaneous, it is in fact carefully constructed. After all, the door creates the perfect frame for the mother and also draws the eye down to the children as well.
Generally, it is best not to fight against nature, and this family photo shows what happens when families allow themselves to be photographed just as they are. Something shocking clearly happened out of frame, and everyone’s individual reactions makes this photo so personal and charming.
This is another seemingly candid shot that allows the children to relax enough to act naturally for the camera. A few have got the giggles, a couple are shielding their eyes from the sun, but they all show their personalities quite clearly.
The father focuses on his task – getting the family in the frame. The dog wants a treat, the baby could not be less interested and the mother is a bit exasperated. This portrait really captures the tedium of family life with a lot of humour and obvious warmth.
Sometimes all you need to get an awesome family portrait is a new location. This photo was taken with an underwater camera, and all the boys wore snorkels in different colours so they could breathe easily whilst the shot was framed and taken. The resulting photo shows how much fun the children are having, which is rare in family photos.
There’s always one, isn’t there? But this portrait celebrates the joker’s personality instead of trying to put a glossy sheen of perfection on.
Finally, we end on a lovely long exposure portrait. Each person was given a sparkler and a simple shape, and the photo ends up being a lovely message. Of course, we can’t see who each person is, but that’s hardly the point of this photo.
These 10 awesome family portrait ideas should get you thinking about what sorts of photos you can get of your family. So which ones are you going to try? Are there ones you love that we missed? Let us know in the comments.
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