Family poses can be difficult to manage, especially when everyone is looking a bit stiff. Relaxing in front of the camera is key to obtaining great-looking pictures. Learn more about techniques to keep your family looking natural in pictures with these tips.

#1 Take pictures with all the combinations possible

A good practice when posing with a family is to take pictures with all the combinations possible. Meaning, taking pictures with everybody, then all of the kids, then mom and dad, maybe all of the boys, then all of the girls…

Making people interact in different groups creates new chemistry that can transform into looking more natural and relaxed in front of the camera. This will help to get people comfortable and playing around.

Also, you will get a diversity of shots that to choose from later on. Every picture will be different and you will have a variety of family poses with different members of the family. We will come back to this first tip, in the end, to show you how versatile this technique can be.

#2 Get involved in your children’s playing

Most photographers will suggest for kids to play around or explore. This makes for beautiful candid pictures. Having no family poses can actually be a great way to get comfortable in front of the camera. However, this technique can be difficult for the adults in the family, kids can easily forget about photographers, while adults might still be aware and uncomfortable about it.

Try to get engaged with your children’s games. Truly get involved and care for the rules, who’s winning or what’s happening. This will help you to forget about the camera.

#3 Take a break to breathe

You could also ask for a break. When things are getting overwhelming you can ask your photographer to make a pause and breathe a little bit before continuing with the session. Try to take deep breaths and relax your face. There are several face exercises you can do to make your family poses look way more relaxed.

#4 Shake your body

Sometimes isn’t only your face that needs to relax, sometimes is your whole body. Poses for families tend to involve hugging and when a hug is stiff it doesn’t look genuine. It doesn’t matter how much you truly love one another, if your body doesn’t relax it won’t show.

That is why you can take a pause, shake around and take a time to make sure your body looks natural. Breathe deeply and allow your body to decompress, You could also stretch a bit. Actually, these kinds of techniques help teachers to keep children focused and relaxed after a long day. Try them out

#5 Tell a joke

Nothing brings a more natural smile than a laugh. Telling a joke can help bring a natural smile to your face.

It doesn’t have to be a structured joke, it could be a simple one-liner that you remember. It could be a memory of your family members that makes everyone laugh. There is always something that can get everyone in a good mood. Try to think about those things before the session and bring them up before the pictures to get natural smiles from everyone.

#6 Play music

Another thing you could do to relax is to play some of your favorite songs in the background. Music has peculiar qualities over the mind, and when we enjoy it we get to relax, and this shows in pictures. 

Music can get people singing and dancing and this kind of moment will make them more willing to look at the camera and smile. Music can lighten the mood and help everyone be more in tune with the energy of the photoshoot. Try this tip to make your family poses more natural.

#7 Practice in front of the mirror

One more thing you could do before the photo shoot is to practice your family poses in front of a mirror. This could help you better understand how everyone looks like a group and check for things that might look awkward to the camera.

Also, you could try family poses you see online and decide whether or not they suit your family. It could also be a fun practice time for everyone, try to keep it light for the kids and you will get them excited about the actual thing.

#8 Take one last picture with everyone

Remember tip number one? taking various pictures with all the possibilities serves as a warm-up. At the end of the photoshoot when you’ve taken candid pictures, and in different groups, you could take one last picture with everyone on it. This will look very different from the first one because everyone will know a little better what to do in front of the camera and will be more used to it. Chances are you’ll like this one better than the first one.

In conclusion

Try to give yourself time to relax in between shots, you could do it by taking deep breaths, listening to music, or by shaking and stretching. You could also try different combinations of people on the shot so you can create a diversity of chemistry that will help develop interesting family poses. Finally, take one last shot with everyone and see how your body language has changed from the first shots.