Large Family Photography Ideas

Getting just one baby to smile can be as hard as a group of thirty.

If you have a family event coming up and want to photograph your entire family, you should be prepared for a difficult task. Within every group, there are people who are easy-going and people who are very opinionated, so you might have to hear conflicting opinions about the best way to take the picture. By keeping the goal in mind -- a beautiful family portrait to treasure for years to come -- you can get through the actual event with a smile.

Plan the Shot First

Rather than annoy your family members by posing them in multiple places, decide in advance where you want everyone to stand and then direct them there. This will save a lot of time that can be spent taking the actual picture.

Wear Coordinating Outfits

Combining too many colors or styles into one shot can look messy and disorganized. Give your family a common color that everyone will wear, such as a white shirt with jeans, to pull together the picture and create an impressive shot. This will bring the focus to everyone's faces, rather than overwhelming the viewer with a wide range of colors.

Keep It Focused

With a large group, it can be hard to capture everyone's attention at the same time, so make sure there is nothing going on around you to distract your family's attention. Set up a colorful prop under your camera to capture the children's attention and count down loudly before you take the picture. Make sure to press the button after you reach "1" so that no one can complain they didn't know when you were taking the picture.

Keep It Quick

It can be hard to stand for a long time in one spot, especially if you are crammed in tightly between twenty other people, so only take a few shots of everyone together. If there are young children or babies in the group, they will not last longer than a minute or two, so use that time wisely to take pictures instead of rearranging the adults. By moving quickly, you will capture more smiles than in a long, drawn-out photo session.

References

• Digital Photography School: How to Take Great Group Photos