Learn Special Family Portrait Photography: Essential Tips

If ever there is one thing that most photographers find extremely challenging, it will definitely be shooting family oriented portrait photography. After all, capturing that perfect moment when every member of the family is in their perfect element and smiling genuinely for the camera can be quite a difficult task in itself.

So, if you are planning to carve your name in this niche, you should prepare yourself for the unyielding demands and rigors associated with the job. More than just knowing how to implement the perfect poses, you should also learn how to interact and communicate with every member of the family. This is extremely crucial if you want to do this right!

Interacting with Clients during Family Portrait Photography

So, how do you work with your clients to make sure you get your job done in the best way possible? How can you get repeat business from your clients and how can you get them to refer you to their friends? Here are some things you absolutely need to know to achieve these goals:

• Identify the main decision maker in the family. Can you identify the person whom you should cater to? Do you know whom to please the most during your shoot? Well, you should, especially if you want to keep them in your client list. In most cases, this person would usually be the wife or the mother of the family. Give her what she wants and you will surely do your business a lot of good.
• Understand what everyone wants and give it to them. Just because the mother is the main decision maker in such things doesn’t mean that she will only be the one who will get what she wants. It will never work that way. Give everyone a chance to be heard and let them have what they want. That’s the way you should do it.
• Get yourself an assistant. Being a one-man show wouldn’t do your business a lot of good. While this may mean extra expense on your part, having an assistant will help you a lot during your shoots. It will definitely take a lot of work out of your hands and let you concentrate on giving your project your best shot. By delegating small tasks to your assistant (setting up the background and positioning the family, to name a few), you can focus on your primary tasks and do a better job.
  

Family Oriented Photography Posing Guide

After learning how you can interact and communicate properly with your clients during the shoot, you need to know how to execute the best family portrait poses. Here are some suggestions to get you started on the right track:

• Start with some traditional poses. Most families prefer to have their portraits taken using the traditional poses for two main reasons. First, they think that this is the best way to do it. Second, they don’t know what else would work. So, to let them know that you know what you are doing and to let them warm up to you before you try something more creative, out-of-the-box poses, let them have it their way. Start the photo shoot using the principles of traditional family photography and move on to more non-traditional poses later. However, if they want to stick with what they want, let them have it their way.
• Apply subtle themes. You can try positioning your subjects by family structure, by height or by other subtle themes they would want to consider. Posing the family this way creates a sense of balance and unity and paves the way for unleashing more of your creative side.
• Capture fun moments. If the family is up to it, you can try taking shots while they are walking, striking wacky poses, or jumping into the air, to name a few. Let your creativity flow and you’ll be good to go!

Shooting family portraits can be quite a challenging job but once you know the secrets to better family portrait photography, the rewards will certainly be well worth it!

I hope this article has been of some value,

Ray Baker