Evergreen State Sue Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 It's time for us to have a family picture taken. We'll take it with our camera on a tripod, not by a professional. It used to be our kids were little and they could stand in front of us or sit on our laps. We'd get a nice tight picture of our family (and most of the extra pounds we'd gained during the year were hidden!) Now our kids are taller or as tall as us. (We are thankful for that, because we are not very tall parents.) Are there tips or tricks to use when posing to make a good picture? I just got a Christmas picture from a family member and realized she always puts one hand on her waist or hip. I think it makes her look slimmer and she is already a petite gal. What are your tips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemiSweet Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Non-clashing colors/clothing Gentle background - not busy, no distractions Height of heads should be staggered Good lighting - take some practice pictures in various locations/times of day Big smiles and having fun :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Former pro photographer with lots of family portrait experience here.... Frankly, posing and lighting are two of the best reasons to find an experienced pro to help your photo look great. That's a great deal of what you are paying for....of course, these days a nice digital camera makes anyone a 'pro' and many of those folks have never studied posing, composition or design. Sigh. Here's a couple of tips. Turn slightly...about 45 degrees. Step back with one foot and let most of your weight settle on that leg. The other leg comes forward a bit, bends at the knee (for women) and comes in front of the other ankle. This gives you a smaller profile with most of your weight behind you. One hand can go at the waist, if you like. If seated, do the 45 degree angle, cross your legs at the ankle and let them drift to one side or the other. Think a diagonal line from ankles up through the body and then up to the head. Hands...well, hands are always a challenge. :) Folded in the lap works. Holding a child's or sweetheart's hand is better. Face--the body is at an angle, but the face looks directly at the camera. When you are close to each other, people have a tendency to bend away from each other. Bring heads closer. Even a small tilt can make a sweet difference. I wish we could have a quick video class. I can show much better than I can tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Build the shot. Start with Mom at the center and build around her. Sitting on the floor gives lots of room to maneuver, but so can a chair. Try to get everyone on the same "plane" as re: the camera lens. It has no depth perception and sees only on a plane, so if a forehead it closer to the camera than a chin, it emphasizes the chin size. If Junior is closer to the camera and Dad farther away, it makes Junior look bigger in proportion to Dad. This also means that you should position your bodies along the plane, meaning that a good starting pose is for Mom to sit on the floor with her body turned somewhat toward the camera, and her legs extended to the side, parallel to the plane. Everyone touching someone, heads even a tiny bit inclined toward another person in the pic. It makes it look like you like each other. Heads should be staggered, no one should be doing the arms over the shoulder of the neighbor pose. It hunches up the body, when you want the body to look long and lean. It also tends to produce stray fingertips. Camera should be slightly higher than the tallest eyes. Use a tripod, and set the camera to use a remote (they cost about $10) or to use the 10-second delay. You can set it between 2 and 10 seconds on most cameras. The hardest part is going to be getting the lighting right. You got a bunch of good advice upthread, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 Thank you! These are great suggestions. I'll need to get everyone on board with this, which is always the greatest challenge next to getting them to even want to have a picture taken in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Re: nonclashing clothes: I think it goes beyond "don't clash" to thinking about the overall composition because colors may not technically clash, but still not blend in a photo. For example, if 3 people are wearing blue, one wears white, and one wears red, the person wearing red will stand out even though they don't "clash." You could do 3 blue and 2 white if you want to mix (or vice versa). Another way to have colors go together is to have some complementary colors in the photo, so 4 people wearing blue and 2 wearing a peachy color can work. If you'd wear it in the same outfit, or use the same colors to decorate a room, it's going to work better. Same thing with prints of any kind. I'd recommend putting the clothing that will be visible on the floor or table and looking how it looks as a whole. Wearing the same color helps: all white shirts, all black shirts, all blue shirts. We've often taken photos on vacation with a natural background. If the photo is casual, make sure no one is wearing an item of clothing with writing on it. It may not "hit" you in person, but in a photo, it will really stick out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawyer&Mom Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Look into the camera! We did a backyard photo shoot and the one or two shots where Dd is looking at the camera, Dh is looking up at the photographer... Argh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 Leave me out of it .... Just kidding. ;) I couldn't resist when I saw your question though. I have lots of family pictures without me in it, so that's my natural response too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Whatever turns out for your photos, don't be afraid to use something that is just real rather than professional perfect. We had a friend take photos of us after church one day with our family on the playground equipment. My favorite, which we'll put in a Christmas letter, wasn't the one where our faces were all showing up front perfectly, but one where we came across as us. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Re: colors. One year, mostly by accident, we all ended up in some combination of navy, light blue, and grey on Thanksgiving. The tops were mixes of the three colors, but it all ended up looking really good together, and we took an impromptu picture, which turned out fantastically. The coordinated, but not super matchy, look was great in a picture! I've read that inclining the chin downward slightly is flattering too. But I am far from an expert! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 There are a lot of great tips on Pinterest. I don't match well and I have actually used this. :lol: http://www.inspireportrait.com/blog/category/families Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Former pro photographer with lots of family portrait experience here.... Frankly, posing and lighting are two of the best reasons to find an experienced pro to help your photo look great. That's a great deal of what you are paying for....of course, these days a nice digital camera makes anyone a 'pro' and many of those folks have never studied posing, composition or design. Sigh. Here's a couple of tips. Turn slightly...about 45 degrees. Step back with one foot and let most of your weight settle on that leg. The other leg comes forward a bit, bends at the knee (for women) and comes in front of the other ankle. This gives you a smaller profile with most of your weight behind you. One hand can go at the waist, if you like. If seated, do the 45 degree angle, cross your legs at the ankle and let them drift to one side or the other. Think a diagonal line from ankles up through the body and then up to the head. Hands...well, hands are always a challenge. :) Folded in the lap works. Holding a child's or sweetheart's hand is better. Face--the body is at an angle, but the face looks directly at the camera. When you are close to each other, people have a tendency to bend away from each other. Bring heads closer. Even a small tilt can make a sweet difference. I wish we could have a quick video class. I can show much better than I can tell. Great tips. TYVM. Now, you could demo for us on YouTube and link it here. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 There are a lot of great tips on Pinterest. I don't match well and I have actually used this. :lol: http://www.inspireportrait.com/blog/category/families That's a great link. I've been wondering about colors. I've recently discovered that my dh and I look best in winter vibrant colors and my kids look best in autumn muted colors. I'll have to figure out how to blend us all together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I've been know to change heads using Photoshop. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I don't know. I wish I did. I am certain though that the best family photo here is one that does not include me. I just can't smile right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Angling your body toward the camera, instead of facing it straight on is slimming. I also love the family pictures where everyone is being silly. Those are really fun and much more interesting than the posed serious ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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