How to Take a Family Portrait at a Wedding

Sometimes it can be a pain to try to arrange a professional family portrait, whether it’s your immediate family or your larger extended family. It’s much more convenient to take a family photograph at a family wedding, when you’re all going to be there, anyway—and dressed up, to boot! Plus, you’ll have a professional photographer on hand, too. What could be simpler?

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Camera
• Photographer

1. Set aside and arrange about an hour on the wedding day strictly for family photographs in order to come away with the “perfect” family portrait. Usually picture time is right before the ceremony or between the ceremony and the reception—fit it in sometime around then.
2. Plan to have the shots taken for your family portrait the day before the wedding if everyone is around and available. Before or after the dress rehearsal is a good time, but make sure everyone will be dressed in suitable attire. This option works well if the wedding day will just be too busy both for the family as well as for the photographer, and if you’d rather have bride and groom without their wedding attire.
3. Choose exactly where you want the family portrait to be taken.
4. Decide if you want the portrait taken indoors or outdoors, which will depend a lot on the weather. For outside, a warm, partly cloudy day with barely any wind works best. If it’s too cold, windy, rainy or sunny, stay inside.
5. Ensure that each family member knows the day, time and place for the family portrait. For family members who tend to be late, tell them the picture time is 15 minutes earlier than it really is.
6. Make sure the photographer knows of your plans and make any necessary arrangements with him or her. You may have to alter your plans depending on the photographer’s availability and schedule.
7. Gather the group together and make sure everyone is there. Have the photographer decide where everyone should sit or stand.
8. Decide how you want to pose—solemnly, formally or casually.
9. Make sure the background isn’t too busy or inappropriate to the type of family portrait you want. Make sure there are no objects that could seem as they they’re “sprouting” from people’s heads from the photographer’s point of view.
10. Allow the photographer to take as many shots as he or she feels are necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure the family—not the background—is the focus of the family portrait.
• Take as many shots as possible in order to increase your chances of a having a family portrait where everyone looks good.