how to get natural, unposed family photos
Even if you are a big fan of yearly photos with your family, and you understand how important it is to document your lives, family photos can STILL feel so chaotic and stressful! Not only that, but often that stressful energy can be felt in the photos – but it doesn’t have to be like that! You can have photoshoots with your family that feel like an adventure, one where you get to make genuine memories and bond with one another. And at the end of it, you’ll have photos that FEEL like your family – chaotically beautiful, imperfectly authentic and best of all, GENUINE.
Here’s five tips for how to get fun, lighthearted, unposed family photos!
Find a photographer you can be yourself around
The thing about looking natural in photos starts with trust; that is, trust that the person behind the camera understands you, and feels like someone you’d hang out with outside a photoshoot. If you can be yourself, unapologetically so, that allows your family to be at ease also. And while there’s loads of things photoshop can fix, true, genuine connection is not one of them. The best way to be natural in photos is to FEEL comfortable around your photographer. I truly love my clients and I feel like I’m right there alongside them making memories. Find someone like that – everything is easier after that.
Location, location, location
Use your surroundings to feel more at ease – if you are an outdoorsy family that enjoys frolicking in fields, and playing in rivers, consider choosing something similar to that, perhaps a beautiful trail or a national park. If you’re more of a “I’m not getting my shoes muddy” kind of family, consider a more urban location. Perhaps an overhead parking lot, or a downtown street stroll. Maybe you guys feel at ease in your backyard or home. There’s so much beauty around us, here in Vancouver WA and beyond. USE that to your advantage. I personally advise all my clients on where we could shoot, so if you feel stumped feel free to reach out to your photographer. I always say a photoshoot is a collaboration – we build it TOGETHER.
Don’t say “CHEESE!”
It’s tempting to try to control such a chaotic experience, but I find that the best photos come out of embracing the day as it unfolds. Allowing everyone to have genuine interactions. Let kids make faces, get their feet dirty, frown and hide behind your legs, collect rocks and cool leaves. I know it seems counterintuitive, but eventually, free to be themselves, kids tend to just… go with the flow. I’m also very loud, extroverted, and I LOVE playing with kids. So the odds of us getting those classic perfectly posed shots among the chaos of the day are GREAT.
Embrace the details
This might be because of who I am as a photographer – but my galleries are never JUST the perfectly posed shots, or JUST the unposed photos. My galleries are a WHOLE story – your story. Meaning maybe not EVERY shot you get will deserve a space on the mantle – but every shot in your gallery will add to your story. There will be blurry shots, close ups of gummy smiles, dirty knees and dry leaves, silly faces, outtakes, little details you might otherwise miss among the chaos, lashes that go on forever, tiny hands wrapped around your fingers, flower petals in your hair…. All of it part of the great big mosaic of your family’s story. So don’t get too caught up in trying to recreate Pinterest inspiration. Allow the day to surprise you.
Lead with personality
I don’t know about you guys but there is NO shortage of big personalities in our family. Everyone has an opinion and moods vary in ways that will give you whiplash. I find that embracing the moody teens’ eyeballs, allowing the grumpy dad to keep his hat on, letting the toddler run around in circles – all these things not only make the shoot easier to get thru, but it adds layers upon layers to your shoot. Personalities SHOULD shine. That’s what makes families work – a bunch of personalities working together towards a common goal. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.
I hope these tips help make the experience of being photographed easier! Because family photos shouldn’t be stressful – they should be a celebration of who you all are together, what ties you all to one another. I would love to walk alongside you and tell the story of your lives. It would be my honor. If you are still looking for a photographer to grow old with, I’d love to be that for you! To book your own family photoshoot that feels natural and authentic, follow the link and let’s get started!
