The Ultimate List of Family Portrait Ideas!

September and October are the busiest months for the family photographer. Everyone seems to want family photos with fall leaves. However, fall family pictures are just one of the dozens of options for wowing clients with fun sessions and stunning images. We’ve compiled a massive list of family portrait ideas.

The Traditional Portrait

Even if your simpsons family portrait session is less traditional, set aside some time to take at least one classic family portrait. Everyone is lined up, looking at the camera, and smiling their best smiles. At least, that’s the intention.

Ideas for All Seasons

Winter, spring, summer, and fall… we have family photo ideas for every season! The following suggestions are excellent for combining a few traditional family portrait poses with some candid play. They are, however, seasonal and require favourable outdoor weather!

Don’t just stare at the yellow, gold, and orange trees. Take part in them. Both children and adults will enjoy throwing leaves, jumping in piles of them, and exploring the various shapes and textures.

Take some pictures and find the perfect pumpkin! Capture candid moments of the children playing, then gather everyone together to show off their nearly jack-o-lanterns. When it comes to jack-o-lanterns… Make a family photoshoot out of carving pumpkins. If the weather outside isn’t cooperating, an indoor carving session is a great way to capture the mood of autumn.

Halloween outfits

Dress up as someone else for family photos? Sounds like a good time. These portraits work especially well if the family’s costumes complement each other and tell a single story. Capture candid moments as they put on makeup or fix their hair, or have them act out some funny scenes.

As a backdrop for a family photography session, use hay bales, corn stalks, and other fall-harvested crops to create a fall feel. Although old pickup trucks are not required, they are very popular right now!

Christmas Tree Decorations

Clients will appreciate any Christmas scene. However, decorating the Christmas tree is ideal for family photos because it creates a festive atmosphere and gives children something to do. Don’t forget to get a few posed shots of the tree in all its festive glory!

There may not be a better opportunity to create beautiful bokeh than shooting a family photoshoot with Christmas lights. To match your scene, choose coloured or white lights. Use the lights to illuminate your subject or as bokeh orbs in the background. Gary Fong, the lighting master, has a great video tutorial on family portrait ideas for rocking around the Christmas tree here.

Purchasing Ice Cream

What child can say no to an ice cream cone? What adult, for that matter, does not enjoy ice cream? Rather than bribing kids with ice cream after a session (you know you’ve done it! ). These would be especially cute in boutique ice cream shops or old-fashioned soda shops, in my opinion.

Other Ideas for Seasonal Family Photos

• On the sand.
• At a fair.
• A day spent at the pool.
• Theme: Fourth of July.
• Smiles and sparklers.

The interaction of the family is the centre of the lifestyle of family photographs. These sessions include very little, if any, posing and instead emphasise on capturing candid moments. Many can be performed indoors or outdoors and do not have a complex scene or a large number of props. Try one of these suggestions for your next customer.

Cookie Making

The worse the shambles, the brighter the smiles. Baking cookies as a family is one of my favourite family photo ideas. You can always make the dough ahead of time and then focus on cutting or decorating them.

Even older children and teenagers love a little friendly competition. Set up a lawn game such as croquet, cornhole, yard Yatzhee, or four-square. The family will become so engrossed in the game that they will forget you are even present!

Family photos can take place at any moment. Capture a family at work, whether on the farm, in the garden, or even in the office. Why not photograph the family together if they work together?

If you don’t enjoy baking, have your family clients create a meal together. Interactions abound, such as slicing vegetables, stirring the sauce, or joining hands for a pre-meal blessing.

Sports-themed classes are ideal for families that live near a baseball diamond in the summer or a football field in the fall. Football, baseball, volleyball, basketball, rodeo, swimming…any sport that is meaningful to the family is a terrific source of inspiration for family photo ideas.

Other Ways to Live

• Bicycle rides
• Museum and Zoo visit.
• Book Reading.
• Park Activities Fishing Petting Zoo.
• Farmer’s Market Camping Adventure.

Ideas for Family Portrait Themes

We promised you a massive list of family portrait ideas, and we’re not finished yet! Here are some more ideas for family photo shoots. These ideas necessitate a little more organisation and coordination on the part of the family. However, if they are dedicated to the concept, the outcomes are magnificent!

All Supermans, please! Is it Superman? Superpersons? Regardless… Choose a superhero and a scene, then let your imagination run wild. Family members can dress up as the same superhero, different superheroes, or a combination of superheroes and villains!

Your family members may not participate in the sport, but they most likely have a favourite team, whether local, collegiate, or professional. Encourage family members to wear their team’s colours and cheer on their team.

Put on your bell bottoms or your Doc Martens and get your flannel shirt. Allow your favourite decade to guide you!

Family Madness

Use a zany family photo if your clients have a wonderful sense of humour. Allow the children to hold the parents imprisoned, or use your Photoshop abilities to make it appear as if the parents have taped the children to the wall. The more bizarre and ridiculous the situation, the more fun it is for everyone.

Family Portrait Clothing Ideas

The most often question I am asked by clients is, “What Should We Wear?” Prepare to offer simple fashion recommendations to your clientele.

• Instead of matching, encourage clients to wear complementing, complementary clothes. The entire family dressed in white t-shirts and denim seems a touch out of date these days. Similarly, matching flannel shirts are a fashion that has passed us by.
• Display visual examples of complementing colours and clothing to clients.
• Clients should also ensure that they are relaxed during their session! Encourage children to dress for the weather, wear comfortable shoes, and feel comfortable in their clothing.
• Create a style guide that shows clients how to dress for any shoot!

Beautiful family photographs don’t require a lot of equipment. A cell phone is ideal for taking candid images to share on social media. However, for large prints to hang on the wall, you’ll need a mirrorless or DSLR camera and a high-quality lens.

Look for a camera with at least 24 MP. This provides enough resolution to print in higher formats such as 1114 or 1620 prints and canvas. You’ll also want a camera that can halt the action for crystal-clear portraits and portrays colours beautifully. Combine it with a mid-length portrait lens, such as a 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/1.8, or 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom.