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5 Tips for Shooting Photography Portraits

There are some very good reasons to learn how to take family portraits, and you don't have to be embarking on a photography career to do so. Having portraits taken professionally can sometimes be too expensive for many families. And often it can be difficult to get everyone to the studio at the scheduled time.

Every family deserves to have at least one nice portrait together displayed in a picture frame. And, as a family grows and ages, it's nice to have additional portraits done too. If you want to learn how to take portraits, learn by taking a portrait of your family or someone you know who would love to have a family portrait! If you are taking a portrait of your family, you have to be in it too! So be sure to use a camera with a timer or remote shutter button release.

If you are new to photography learning how to take family portraits will also give you the opportunity to learn and practice other skills, such as taking that group picture at Thanksgiving or a team picture after the game.

Without further ado, here are some tips to help you get started taking memorable family portraits, whether formal or informal.

1) Avoid the "Police Line Up" Portrait Instead of lining everyone up shoulder to shoulder, try a more natural arrangement that also makes it easier to to fit a bunch of people into one picture.

Staggering is one technique that works well for group photos. For example, you may want to stagger family members on the front steps of a porch or around a group of boulders so some family members are standing and others sitting. If in a park, two siblings might sit on a low hanging branch of a tree or all could sit on the lawn clustered together. Show family togetherness by spacing relatively close together. And by staggering the group, it will make it easier to display the picture in a 8x10 picture frame or even something larger like a 11x14 picture frame.

2) Show Relationships You can do this by the way in which you have people pose in the portrait. For example, Grandma and Grandpa might stand next by each other, a toddler in their parent's arms, or siblings with their arms slung around each other.

3) Consider Including the Family Pets if they will hold still long enough. Even if the pet is sitting still, you may want to raise the Shutter Speed Priority to 1/125 because the flick of a tail or other tiny movement can cause blur. It is much easier to take a portrait of an individual with a pet or a pet separately, but if the family has a mellow dog or cat, try some family portrait poses with and without.

4) Get Creative with Props depending on the type of portrait you want. Does the family do any activities or sports like community baseball? Each family member could hold a ball, bat or mitt. This is a trend with individual portraiture that can be fun for families too.

5) Get Everyone Smiling Instead of just saying "cheese," put the family at ease (no rhyme intended) by talking to them: compliment, tell a story joke around, and soon they won't be so nervous about the photographing and their smiles will become more relaxed and real. When you've got the smiles and pose, ask the family to hold them until you give the signal that your camera's got the shot.

Finally, have fun taking lots of pictures so the family can choose their favorite. You're sure to get some great shots where the family will be excited to frame them for all to see.

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