Family photography gives you the opportunity to freeze a moment so that in the future you can return to the wonderful moments of the past. Such photographs depicting all family members together are, perhaps, in every home. It is very important that the photographs in the family album are of high quality and evoke affection not only among the subjects, but also among descendants. A beautiful photo shoot allows you to create a real artistic masterpiece worthy of admiration. Meanwhile, taking a professional family photo is not as easy as it might seem at first glance, because this requires compliance with certain rules, which we will discuss in more detail.

Choose the perfect pose

When creating a high-quality family photo, it is very important that the models are in the right poses. There should be dynamics and a lack of constraint in everything, so models are recommended to move and smile more. When taking a group photo, slightly different rules apply; here it is important to watch your hands; often they become the “stumbling block” on the way to a beautiful photo. If the model is sitting, it is better to place your hands on your knees; if standing, hide them behind your back or in your pocket. It is also not forbidden to hug your family members. It’s great if the people located on both edges of the photo are in the same pose. The ideal option is when models stand half-turned and look into the camera lens, so they appear slimmer in the photo. But everyone has their own winning pose, and the photographer must take this into account when posing, and most importantly, pose the whole family harmoniously. A family photo is not only about figures and portraits, it is a story in which there is a mood.

For the photographer

The first mistake an amateur makes is having the equipment unprepared for filming. When starting to work on creating a family chronicle, you need to carefully check the battery, camera settings: image type, ISO sensitivity, exposure, and other parameters. It is better to use low sensitivity values ​​so there will be less noise in the photo, the RAW image type (Pro RAW format) will make it possible to process the image with high quality, the exposure changes depending on the lighting level. A family photo session should be thought out early, special attention should be paid to the details, presentation, style of photography, having previously discussed everything with the family you are going to photograph.

Create a positive atmosphere

In the frame, not only the poses of people are important, but also their mood, as well as facial expressions. If you are photographing a family, try to make people feel comfortable, try to make them laugh, maybe tell a funny story. If we are talking about a love story (Photography of a love story), give the lovers the opportunity to tune in to a romantic mood, leave them for a while, make sure that people can freely communicate with each other. Turn on the music, this will distract the posing family members from the camera and you will have the opportunity to capture the moment. A photographer must be able to " dissolve", when necessary, and find an approach to people.

The figures in the photo should be compact

There should be no spaces between people in the pictures; if you are taking a group photo, family members should be very close to each other. This moment is important, because in this way a symbolic unity is born, as a result of which the people in the frame look united not only by the production idea, but also by symbolic family ties. If there are elderly people in the frame, it is better to place them in the foreground; here you can use chairs.

Wardrobe for a photo shoot

When it comes to an event such as a wedding (Wedding photography), everything is clear with the wardrobe of the main characters - a fluffy white dress, an elegant men's suit, in this case experiments are inappropriate, and it is unlikely that such a proposal from the photographer will be adequately assessed newlyweds. Another question, when it comes to a traditional family photo shoot at home or on a walk, here you can " play"with a wardrobe, for example, professionals advise shooting participants to choose brighter and more positive clothes; it’s great if they have original drawings on them. When people wear such outfits, the photos look more positive and dynamic. But clothes should not distract attention from your emotions, everything should be in moderation.The photographer should know when to recommend bright, catchy clothes, and when to use plain clothes, and also a lot depends on the background.

Always check the footage

It’s a shame when a photographer sees beautiful pictures from family life through the lens, but the photographs turn out to be only a pitiful semblance of reality. The problem is that taking a group photo is quite difficult, because at any moment each of the people in the frame can move, blink, or in some other way disrupt the harmony. Make sure that the characters in the “picture” do not lower their heads, otherwise the result will be disastrous. A specialist must be prepared for trouble and take an additional shot in time, which is why it is so important to monitor what is happening on the screen and move on to another composition only if the perfect shot is taken.

Nikon Ambassador Lyalya Garbuz chose the topic of family photography for professional and creative implementation. And she approaches this issue very thoroughly. Her diploma, which Lyalya defended at the journalism department of Moscow State University, is also dedicated to family photography. Based on this work, we present to your attention an educational excursion into the history of the emergence and development of the genre.

For my thesis, I had to get to the bottom of photography itself. I dove headfirst into the story like Alice down the rabbit hole. Today, family photography is not only the home archive of a particular family, it is actively used in photojournalism as a tool to achieve a strong impact on the viewer and reflects the social problems of society. And once upon a time, the desire to capture a portrait of a person and his family was one of the first functions of photography.

I was lucky enough to study a lot of invaluable literature for a photographer: books by Juliet Hacking, Vladimir Levashov, Alexander Lapin, Susan Sontag, Roland Barthes, Walter Benjamin. The greatest help came from the albums of Annie Leibovitz, Sally Mann, Stanley Tretick, Pavel Krivtsov, the collection of royal and imperial photographs on the Royal Collection Trust website, photographs from World Press Photo and International Photography Awards.

Family photography, unlike painting, is the simplest and easiest way to satisfy a person’s natural desire - to perpetuate the memory of himself and his loved ones. Continuing the traditions of pictorial portraits and borrowing from artists the basics of composition, visual style and posing options, photography had a main distinctive feature that expressed its historical and documentary functions - realism. In essence, it was a document, proof of the life of a person, giving the most accurate idea of ​​what he looked like.

The style and development of family photography for many years was influenced by painting, from which it borrowed much, as well as by the problem of long exposure. All the first family portraits were staged. Moreover, portraits of children, especially small ones, were generally rare. More often than not, the faces and figures of children were blurred, especially in group portraits, such as in the photographs of William Edward Kilburn, the first photographer to be given the honor of being called Photographer of Her Majesty and HRH Prince Albert.

Queen Victoria with her children. Photographer William Edward Kilburn, 1852

Sometimes children were photographed sleeping because they were motionless at that moment. But with the advent of post-mortem photography, when the deceased were given natural sleeping poses, an unspoken rule appeared, which degenerated into a sign - so that viewers do not accidentally mistake a living person for a dead one, sleeping people should not be photographed.

Photographers Albert S. Southworth and Josiah Johnson Howes. Mother and Child, 1844-1850.

Photographers Albert S. Southworth and Josiah Johnson Howes. Posthumous photograph, 1850.

Posthumous photograph, 1895.

Post-mortem photograph, 1900.

Another trick for photographing young children was a technique called the "hidden mother." The woman was hidden under fabrics, so that she acted as a chair or background; a child was placed on her lap, whom the mother had to calm and hold in a motionless position.

Looking at family photographs of Queen Victoria and the Russian imperial families, one distinctive detail can be identified. In almost all photographs taken for sale, Queen Victoria looks straight into the camera and looks into the distance - into the future of her country. This is noticeable in one of the first family photographs of the Queen to come down to us, the work of Henry Collen, the first professional calotypist. Even more interesting are the images by Roger Fenton, the famous war photographer who became famous for his series of photographs about the Crimean War - which were not intended for public display and in which the Queen is captured in an informal, homely style, wearing a simple checkered shawl and looking straight into the camera.

Queen Victoria and Princess Victoria. Photographer Henry Collen, 1844.

Queen Victoria with her children. Photographer Roger Fenton, 1854.

In 1854, in France, André Adolphe-Eugene Disderi patented the first camera with four lenses, which allowed simultaneously taking up to 8 small photographs (business cards - carte de visite) on one large plate. The shooting and printing process has become much faster, easier and cheaper. This method became widespread in 1859, when Dizderi exhibited a photograph of Napoleon III with Empress Eugenie and their son Alexandre-Louis-Eugene, which increased the demand for the photographer’s services several times.

Napoleon III with his family. Photographer Dizderi, 1859.

Another workshop became famous for the photograph The Prince Imperial on Pony Beneath a Window by Pierre-Louis Pierson. Today, the fragments that should have been cropped out of the picture - the servant holding the reins, the emperor with the dog, the background set - are no less interesting than the little prince himself.

Prince of the Empire riding a pony. Photographer Pierre-Louis Pierson, 1859.

Queen Victoria with her granddaughter Alexandra Feodorovna, Nicholas II and great-granddaughter. Photographer Robert Milne, Belmoral, 1896.

Queen Victoria was a big fan of the new art of photography. Thanks to her financial support and the introduction of carte de visite collecting fashion, photography gained rapid development and wild popularity among the nobility, and subsequently among ordinary people. The royal tradition of visiting photo salons very soon became a universal family tradition. For such photo sessions, people dressed up, did their hair and makeup, and treasured the photographs and kept them in albums. Most of these shots have no artistic value. Currently, some of them are used for anthropological, social and historical research. Some members of the royal families enjoyed being photographed as well as being photographed. We have received photographs by Prince Alfred (son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert), Emperor Nicholas II, and his wife Empress Alexandra.

Terry's acting family. Photographer Lewis Carroll, 1865.

The first photographer to bring ease and naturalness to staged photography was the famous writer Lewis Carroll. As the exposure time decreases, more diverse subjects and genre scenes appear, telling about the daily life of members of the royal family, as in the photographs of Mary Steen.

Queen Victoria with her grandchildren at the dinner table. Photographer Mary Steen, 1895.

In Russia, the most famous and respected photographers of the Imperial Majesty were: Sergei Lvovich Levitsky, Karl Ivanovich Bergamasko, Karl Karlovich Bulla, Fyodor Genrikhovich Boasson, Karl Andreevich Yagelsky - owner of the photo studio CE von Hahn & Co. Their photographs of the life of the Russian imperial families are of historical, cultural and artistic value. These photographs and photographs of foreign royal families were and are the standards for copying by commercial photographers specializing in family and portrait photography.

Photographer Sergei Levitsky, 1873.

Photographer Sergei Levitsky, 1878.

Photographer Carl Bergamasco, 1876-1877.

Photographer Karl Bulla, 1908.

Photographer Fyodor Boasson, 1913.

Photographer Fyodor Boasson, 1910.

Photographer Karl Jagielski, 1909.

In 1900, Eastman Kodak released the Brownie, a cheap and easy-to-use camera that introduced amateur photography. And it found its widest application in family photography. Amateur photographs, unlike professional studio portraits, contained more historical and social information, being a kind of sketches of family life.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the concept of documentary photography was introduced, which primarily means social photography dedicated to the problems and changes occurring in society. These problems and changes are shown through the person and his environment. In 1925, the famous Leica camera went on sale - small and lightweight, allowing you to take pictures with short shutter speeds in natural light - it opened up new possibilities and had a huge impact on the development of photojournalism.

In the Soviet Union, photography was used mainly in the propaganda system, the goal of which was to achieve social harmony, educate people in accordance with new values, and stimulate work. Therefore, the functions of photojournalism in the 1930s did not include coverage of social problems of society. The most striking example of documentary and propaganda photography of that time, the main characters of which are members of a large Soviet family, is the series “24 hours in the life of the Filippovs,” filmed over 5 days by reporters Arkady Shaikhet, Max Alpert and Solomon Tules and published in 1931 in foreign and Soviet press. Here are the shots:

Foreign documentary photography in the post-war years was also more often positive than negative. Society was exhausted by the war and the horrors that accompanied it. Photography draws attention to universal human values, and the concept of humanistic photography is introduced, striving for interhuman understanding. The epic exhibition of humanistic photography organized in 1955 in New York by Edward Steichen - The Family of Man, also known as "The Human Race" - presented a collection of 503 photographs, including family ones, which included the work of Eugene Smith's "Walk in the Garden of Eden", which depicts his own children, and Elliott Erwitt's "Mother and Child", a photograph of his wife and child, as well as photographs by Lewis Carroll, Julia Margaret Cameron and other photographers of the time.

A walk through the Garden of Eden. Photographer Eugene Smith, 1946.

Mother and child. Photographer Elliott Erwitt, 1953.

At all times, family photographs of political figures, royal and imperial families and celebrities, showing exemplary personal lives, on the one hand created a positive image of rulers and stars, on the other, formed a system of traditional family values ​​in society, and on the third, were role models for others commercial photographers.

An interesting archive of photographs by American photojournalist Stanley Tretick, who spent several years photographing the family of US President John F. Kennedy. In the album “Capturing Camelot,” official photographs of the president are replaced by informal ones. And these family photographs characterize and more fully reveal the personality of Kennedy himself. Another famous photographer who photographed the Kennedy family in 1960 was Alfred Eisenstadt.

Photographer Alfred Eisenstadt, 1960:

Photos from the album “Capturing Camelot”, photographer Stanley Tretick, 1963:

Family photographs of famous actors Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, shot by photographer Claude Azoulay, look very natural, as if they open the door to their private life:

With the changes taking place in society, photography also changes. It becomes more explicit, intimate, like the 1991 Vanity Fair cover photograph of Annie Leibovitz, who captured Demi Moore naked while she was nine months pregnant.

Nowadays, when technology practically does not limit the photographer’s creativity, we see a huge variety of projects and albums dedicated to the theme of family. One of the most scandalous in the history of family photography was the study of the period of growing up of their own children, recorded by their mothers.

Photographer Sally Mann, 1992.

For example, the album of the American photographer Sally Mann “Immediate Family” (1992), shot in the style of pictorealism, the heroes of which were her son and two daughters aged 7 to 13, caused a lot of noise. Mainly because of the explicit photographs of naked children. Thanks to this album and the scandal that accompanied its release, Sally received photographic recognition.

It is worth mentioning the album “A Photographer’s Life 1990-2005” by the famous American photographer Annie Leibovitz, which collected the best photographs from 15 years of her creative life. Family photographs coexist with photojournalism: advertising, reportage, photographs of celebrities and politicians. This album shows how diverse family photography can be. Annie's works reflect in detail the life of her family: the birth of her children, fragments of their childhood, the celebration of her mother's anniversary, trips to the sea, the relationship of her parents, their illness and death. They show a caring and respectful attitude towards the life of their family.



Photos from the album “A Photographer’s Life, 1990-2005”. Photographer Annie Leibovitz, 1992.

Returning to the topic of photo sessions of celebrities and their families for famous glossy magazines such as Vanity Fair and Vogue, it is impossible not to mention photographers Tim Walker, Annie Leibovitz and Jason Bell. Their modern staged photographs are very different from staged portraits of the Victorian era in the variety of subjects and poses, naturalness and emotionality. The colors, images, and outfits are carefully thought out.

Singer Madonna with children. Photographer Tim Walker, 2005.



Actress Angelina Jolie with her adopted son. Photographer Annie Leibovitz, 2013.

Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Photographer Jason Bell, 2013.

An interesting cycle “The Brown Sisters” by American photographer Nicholas Nixon, consisting of annual family portraits, traces the external and internal changes occurring with four sisters over the course of 36 years.

"Brown Sisters" Photographer Nicholas Nixon, 1975-2011.

In modern Russian photography, Vladimir Vyatkin and Pavel Krivtsov can be noted. Their works are distinguished by their special sincerity, warmth and love.

Photographer Pavel Krivtsov.

Photographer Vladimir Vyatkin.

The relative availability of modern professional photographic equipment has created a huge layer of amateur photographers taking pictures of their families. It would seem that the topic has been resolved. All the more paradoxical is the enduring success of the “Family of Man” photo exhibition. Since 1955, she has visited more than 150 museums around the world; now her permanent exhibition is “registered” in the Clairvaux Castle in Luxembourg. Since 2002, it has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The exhibits are grouped by themes: birth, love, work, joy, death. The photographs are equally close to all cultures, all people. As Carl Sandburg wrote: “There is only one man in the world, and his name is All Men. There is only one woman in the world, and her name is All Women. There is only one child in the world, and his name is All Children.”

Standard ideas for a family photo shoot for photos taken at home or on the street are gradually becoming a thing of the past; creative photos are in trend. You may find some of the tips below helpful.

The benefits of shooting in a studio space

Despite the fact that photo shoots in cozy cafes, entertainment venues, winter gardens and parks are very popular, studio photography remains the most relevant, as it has a number of advantages:

• comfortable conditions are created for the participants in the process, you can do professional makeup, carefully prepare for shooting, change outfits an unlimited number of times and implement any ideas for family photo memories, which will provide a variety of shots
• you will get high-quality, professional photos due to the right light, which is difficult to achieve at home or on the street; this applies to both mass shots and portrait photography
• it is possible to decorate the space according to your wishes, complementing the background, for example, with seasonal attributes and themed decorations

Options for creating children's photos

Young children can become participants in interesting photo shoot ideas. Dad and son look unexpected and cute, dressed in the same trousers and shirts, or even better - a uniform. The little son looks funny in overalls corresponding to his father’s profession. Everyone without exception likes such family photos in the studio with children.

There are other interesting and original solutions for taking pictures with children. A baby who is one or two years old can be captured in a colored chair, such as a red heart-shaped chair, or in a symbolic white one.

Poses for a family photo shoot with a child can be non-standard. For example, photos where a new parent throws up a happy, laughing toddler always evoke delight and tenderness. A small child “in flight” is fun! You simply can’t think of a better photo for a couples album.

During the photo shoot, mom and dad can play with the children, build towers from cubes, and sculpt figures from plasticine.

A few more ways to make a photo unusual

Try creating a frame using regular large frames. Poses should be natural and photos should be lively. It’s good if the photographer captures the moments when people look into each other’s eyes and laugh heartily. The main thing in such shots is the smiles and sincere emotions of all family members.

Relatives look unusual dressed as characters from their favorite cartoons. To implement this photo shoot idea and create an ambiance, use:

• toys
• funny hats
• decorations that correspond to the general concept

If you have reincarnated as the cartoon characters about Mickey Mouse, let the main attribute of the photo shoot be large plush ears. Recreating the picture from Winnie the Pooh in your own way, take some honey and

big good bear. Photos in which each family member is depicted in the costume of Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and other cartoon characters turn out to be unexpected, funny and interesting.

Musical dynasty

Using a musical concept is a fresh and not yet hackneyed solution.

Participants in the photo shoot can get used to the role:

• rockers (choose leather trousers and leather jackets, use metal jewelry with spikes)
• hip-hop performers (for a photo shoot in this style it is better to wear wide pants with pockets, T-shirts, caps, sunglasses, chains)
• musicians of the classical genre (fans of this genre in a modern interpretation often opt for trousers and simple shirts with elegant ties); You can take pictures with absolutely any musical instruments: violins, synthesizers, guitars, flutes, clarinets

Advice: it is better if everyone is dressed in the same style or at least in the same color scheme.

Use body language

Come up with unusual poses and angles. Take a photo with your child and husband upside down or use your body to draw letters, as in this photo:

Surely none of your friends and acquaintances will have such a photo.

A simple but interesting solution is to take a photo with the whole family under a light white blanket or winter blanket. The main stream of light should fall on your faces.

Choose an unobtrusive background - choose clothes in light, pastel colors. The main thing in the picture:

• uniform color of clothing for the participants in the photo shoot
• harmonious decor, absence of bulky parts
• naturalness, lightness and joy; the smiles of all the relatives – that’s what your eyes immediately fall on

Think over the shooting scenario yourself or entrust it to a professional.

Connection of generations

The desire to capture representatives of the older generation is very popular today. Such photographs are often timed to coincide with various holidays, for example:

• for an anniversary, the birthday of an elderly person (in portrait photographs you can, placing the hero of the occasion in the center, capture a beautiful cake - a delicious original or a model, balloons, an appropriate inscription with wooden letters)
• for Great Victory Day (the photo can be military - let the main participant in the photo have his awards and medals visible; such a thematic photo will never lose its relevance)
• for the golden or diamond wedding of grandparents (the atmosphere of happiness and celebration should be conveyed in the photo, celebrants in their favorite outfits, smiling children and grandchildren, sweets and flowers)
• for winter family celebrations (New Year's Eve, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Epiphany - days when representatives of all generations gather), spring holidays (March 8, May 1)

Photos with grandparents turn out to be touching and remain as a memory of the happy time spent together.

Photo with a pet: why not?

Original photographs, which, in addition to people, depict an animal adored by everyone, radiate kindness and love. Take a photo with a cat, make a dog, rabbit, parrot, guinea pig part of the overall composition. Let the photographer know that you want to be photographed with your pet. It is not at all necessary to go out into nature, since in photo studios this is most often acceptable. Don't forget to bring a pet carrier or basket from home.

Entire collections of clothing are produced for cats, dogs and other pets, so choosing costumes for our little brothers is not difficult. Make the photo even more colorful and funny - dress up your favorite animal! Choose a beautiful look: pants or a dress, put on a ribbon. A photo shoot with a cat, dog, rabbit and any other pet will be remembered for a long time.

Hairstyles, clothes, accessories for photography

When choosing a theme for your shoot, don’t forget to think about ideas for a family photo shoot in the studio

When choosing accessories for a photo with your loved one, parents or child, pay attention to:

• fresh flowers, plants and other elements of nature (if it’s a winter shoot, let there be a Christmas tree in the picture; if it’s an autumn shoot, there may be foliage and other appropriate decor in the photo)
• large cubes, words and inscriptions carved from wood (“Love”, “Family”, “Best Parents”, “Our Happiness”, “New Year’s Tale” and others)
• cakes, muffins, cupcakes, macaroons
• children's drawings and toys
• personal items that your baby, loved ones or yourself love

When choosing clothes, try to avoid dark, gloomy tones. Give preference:

• raspberry, fuchsia, classic red
• blue, azure, Tiffany shade (these colors are suitable for both people with light hair and skin tone, and dark brunettes)
• yellow, orange, muted green - shades reminiscent of nature and spring

Mothers can choose a romantic summer or autumn look with openwork items, flowing chiffon outfits, plain linen items, or casual clothes, opting for jeans, T-shirts, and simple blouses.

For dads, trousers or jeans in dark or pastel colors and shirts of a simple cut (light or bright) are suitable. An excellent option for children are floral dresses, overalls, beautiful headdresses (caps, wreaths, straw hats).

There are really interesting options and quite a lot of them. Remember that photographs have a magical property of “stopping” important moments in life. What could be better than revisiting the moments captured in photographs after a few years or decades? This is the best gift for all time, which you will remember when looking at the pages of your personal album. It’s up to you to decide which ideas for a family photo shoot in the studio to bring to life. After all, a photo process with loved ones is a real gift for those who value precious minutes of communication with family.

Fortunately, my family has preserved a lot of good photographs, because my mother loved taking photographs from her youth. Therefore, our childhood photographs are not only interesting to revisit from the perspective of history and emotional connection, they are also beautiful to look at. A good portion of my childhood photographs were taken with Zenit and Kodak film with beautiful colors and depth of field. So when one of my new acquaintances came across my childhood photos, he was amazed at how professional these homemade homemade photos looked, in contrast to their albums shot on a film camera.

But there are even older photographs - black and white, yellowed, with curled corners. I don't even know who all these people are that are depicted in them and were once close to my parents and grandparents. But my favorite pastime was going through these old photographs and looking for familiar and at the same time unknown faces of very young mothers, fathers and other relatives. This is the value of a family album - the transfer of memory between generations.

So print your photos, create family albums and photo books! Think about the interest with which your children will be able to turn the pages. Printed photos are much more vibrant and valuable than their digital counterparts.

Speaking about family portraits, I couldn’t help but touch on the topic family photo sessions. I have great respect for good family photographers who help people preserve their family history in the form of beautiful photographs. I know that many of my readers are interested in the field of children's and family photography. So I decided to put together a small collection ideas for a family photo shoot. I hope some of these ideas inspire you to do some great new shoots!

The photographs below serve solely as illustrations for this article. All rights belong to the authors of the photographs.

1. There are usually at least 3 people in a family. Arrange them compact in frame. Ask to hug, stand closer to each other, at different levels (sitting, standing). A good idea in this case is to use steps, chairs or the back of a sofa. Place larger family members further away from the camera in a half-turn; they can also be “covered” by slimmer “models” or children. Ask your subjects to hug, partially hiding the heavier person behind the shoulders of others in the family photo shoot.

4. After a good time, it's a good idea to take a break - ask your models to lie on the floor, on the lawn, on the autumn leaves or directly on the snow.

5. Use special effects to add variety to your family photo shoot: frames, mirrors and natural reflections. Don't forget about the well-known powerful picture-in-picture trick.

6. Ask to show each other love

7. Use an unusual angle - everything looks much more interesting upside down or upside down!

For a photographer, skills in family portraits are important. Take a look at the history of photography, one of the most popular genres, not just abstract art or pet photography, but also photographing people and their families. In this post I will tell you about 10 tips that I can help you work in this genre.

What to do when taking a family portrait

1) We gather everyone in the frame more tightly

This is not the first time I have encountered the fact that most families in a group portrait do not stand close enough to each other. Maybe it's the "American personal space" thing, but that's always been a problem for me, it's a family, you need to show how close they are, so try to make them as close to each other as possible. But it is advisable that they do not stand leaning against each other’s shoulders; first, try placing them at a slight angle so that the shoulders overlap each other. Also consider the age of your family. If you have a grandma, make sure you have a chair for her. If you are grandparents, then you will need two chairs;)

2) Coordinate in your choice of clothes
Before you meet your family, you should give them the right direction in choosing what to wear for the shoot. Of course, the final choice will depend entirely on them, but it is still worth remembering to avoid extreme colors, logos and patterns on clothing. This will help you in further post-processing. and the ability to take two versions of the picture - color and black and white. Like I said, it's their photo and their choice, but a random recommendation from a professional is usually appreciated.

3) Look at the screen
Taking photos without regard for the results is fine if there are only one or two people in the frame, but when working with a large group it can be a hit or miss and you may miss that one shot where everyone's eyes are open. Often I thought, "Hey, this is a number. I take a lot of shots and one will definitely be perfect!" After several sessions of transplanting an eye from one photograph to another in Photoshop, I changed my approach to such photography. You can get away with a weak smile, but if someone looks like a sleepy grouse in their only family portrait in ten years... the client might not be too happy to receive that photo. With experience, you will learn to quickly scan all eyes at once.

4) Try and be cheerful to get genuine smiles in return

5) Try blurring the background

What not to do when taking a family portrait

2) Don't let your heads bow
This is fine for friends' daily barbecues, but not for a paid photographer. Models often think that if they tilt their heads, they will fit better into the frame, but we know that this is not at all true. Keep an eye on this.

3) Don't appear insecure

4/5) These two tips seem to be mutually exclusive. so I placed them together. 4) Don't let your mom lead the process. 5) Don’t be afraid if mom, dad or children start expressing their ideas and posing.
The easiest way to ruin a family portrait is to give free rein to an 8-year-old child who will run back and forth. Unfortunately, there is often no way to control this creature, so in such cases one can only rely on the mother, who can pacify the child during filming. So let's remember - no running, no jumping, no dirt, and much more until the pictures are completed. After we finish with the traditional part of the photographs, it is worth giving free rein to the children and letting them be children, that is, do everything that they usually do.