Photography has always been an industry that brings out the very best in a certain situation. A person’s emotions is captured in a photo. When it comes to family photo ideas some should think deeper than for other usual photos that end up in the basement. In many instances, people tense up when the time for family photos comes not because they don’t want to be photographed but because the photos always seem to have a flaw. In order to ensure that great photos are taken every day, you should factor in a lot of things among them the actual photographer, location, colors, clothing and so much more.

Here in this page we first review important factors that you need to keep in mind for your family photos and then we review some family photos and explain how different techniques have been applied to them. (If you do not want to read the suggestions/techniques, just scroll down and check the photos and their descriptions.)

Family Photo and the Photographer

This is the most important person when it comes to taking photos. The professionalism that the photographer executes and the confidence carried by them determines just how cool the photos will be. Some of the family photo ideas which you should always remember regarding photographers include;

• Always ask for recommendations and do reference check. Such advice can be asked from family or friends. If a person has had a past good experience with a professional photographer, they are more likely to recommend such a person. In most instances, a referral always proves out to be right.

• Before embarking at contacting and actually proceeding with the hiring of the services of a photographer, a person should look into ways of accessing their website and perusing their services. In most instances, whatever a person gets upon perusing the portfolio or the website of the photographer, that’s what they end up getting.

• Considering that a family photo will involve all the people, it is important to seek from the photographer if they have experience photographing children. This can be achieved by just scrolling up in their portfolio or website and establishing whether they have dealt with children photography before.

• In order to avoid last minute rush, it is important to book the services of a professional photographer well in advance. Good photographers tend to fill up early and an early appointment is always recommended.

[ad]

Family Photo Ideas - Location

Location is the other critical player when it comes to make family photo's brilliant. The beauty of the photo is determined to a large extent by the location that a person has chosen. Here are some of the family photo ideas to employ when picking the photo location.

• It pays a lot to drive around in search for a location that gives great photo opportunities and even grand photography background. A person should first explore their home and then look at the neighborhood for a place that can make them feel happy.

• Every family has its own personality. Even though each and every person is different, there is that collective personality that every family has. By identifying this, it becomes easier for a person to pinpoint the exact location that accentuates the family’s personality.

• Just before a person gets overly amused and captivated by a certain location, it’s important that they run the location with the photographers when seeking family photo ideas from them. Some places require permits while others have trouble with lighting or are just dangerous to expose oneself to.

Family Photo - Pose

There are different kinds of poses that will make a photo loved by all that look at it. in order to ensure that a person gets the best photo that captures them, their personality and the emotions of the moment right, then it is important to use the following family photo ideas when taking a photo;

• Stay together. Well, a family that stays close to each other is a family that is more likely to feel the love flowing through. The same picture comes out when a family photograph is taken capturing all everyone tightly together.

• The other creative tip about a family photo is to lie down. By lying down a person gets to look unique and in most instances the originality of the family as well as the photo gets captured.

• Being creative in a silly way sometimes gets to capture the truest photos of all time. One of the best ways to capture a photo that will remain a favorite is if the father holds one of the kids by the leg and they kid looking happy from the upside position.

• Another one of the ideas that will make a photo look great is when it focuses on a certain group of people while the others remain in the background. The kids can be at the forefront while the parents are about five meters away kissing. The other idea can be to take the parents in the front and the kids peeping from the bushes.

All of these family photo ideas will help in capturing the best moments of one’s life.

Family Photo Idea Samples

Celebrating a family member.

One of the most common scenarios is when you want to celebrate a family member. A new born baby, a birthday or even someone's achievement or any other life milestones can be good candidate for this kind of photos. As you can see in this photo, both mother and father are looking at the baby, in other words the center of attention here is that member of family that this photo is celebrating. The parents deliberately ignore the camera. The smile on their face also is in line with the celebratory nature of the photo. A smile universally delivers a message of approval and as you can see here because of the way the parents are looking at the baby it conveys its message (They are not just looking at camera and smile with no obvious reason). Also pay attention to the background. The background here is plain dark  which does not distract any attention from viewers.

Activity Based Family Photo

You can define a family and its unique character based on the activities that they enjoy and what can be a better idea for a family photo than a photo that is based on an activity. This can be anything from playing in backyard, working in kitchen together or even taking a family photo! Here in this picture the family are acting as if they were taking a photo on dad's mobile phone. As you can see here again the family does not look into the real camera and therefore they do not acknowledge the real camera. The center of attention here is another object. As you can see this simple technique makes the viewer feel as if he or she is observing a moment in this family's life.

Just ask yourself do you want to have a formal family photo or do you want to share/save a moment and then decide what the focus of the family should be. camera or another family member or another object. Always remember using the focus technique properly can help define the meaning of each photo.
An activity based family photo with 2 center of attention

As you can see in this picture all family members are again involved in an activity which here is checking a family album. Similar to mentioned techniques before every member of family is looking at the album and they all ignore the camera is if it does not exists. Here though the photographer/director has introduced another clever technique. The women at the top right of the picture is not looking at the album while apparently she is watching the grandmother. This second center of attention, based on the history of a family, can convey a message of respect, love, looking after or even looking up to someone. In other words this picture tells not 1 but 2 stories. One is of a happy family who enjoys watching their album together and then the story of lovely young mother who wants to make sure the grandmother is enjoying her time.

Acknowledging the camera in an activity based family photo

In all our previous examples, the family always ignores the camera as if the camera does not exists. This technique helps to make the scene look natural and makes it look like a snapshot of everyday activity of the family. Here in this picture again we have a center of attention (the album) with 1 little exception! The cute kid in the right is looking at camera, acknowledging it and is also smiling! Here with her cute look and smile she is indeed looking at the camera but don't get it wrong. The message here is for the viewer. The playful kid invites the viewer to be a part of that moment. This is a powerful technique that you can use in your own photos. You need to be able to work with your kids and make sure they know they roles.There is though 1 important point here, never apply this technique on adults. For a second just imagine how creepy it would have been had the father was the one looking at the camera and smiling rather than the kid.