Family Pictures In San Jose

Family Pictures In San Jose | Liz

Bernal Ranch Park is one of my favorite rustic family portrait locations in San Jose. It has a different feel than a traditional park or the beach – and is a great fit for people who want this type of look. Here are some of the family pictures in San Jose of Liz and her family and three tips to get kids, and everyone, to smile for family portraits.

Stay Looking At The Camera

First and foremost, the best tip that I can give parents is to stay looking at the camera. While I am looking through the camera’s viewfinder, i will primarily be looking at the children. As soon as I see that they are smiling – or looking at the camera, I will snap the photo. Depending on the child, they may only crack a really BIG smile a handful of times. When this happens, you want to make sure you are also looking right at the camera 🙂 Many times, children will make a really great expression and this will be the exact time that a parent is looking down.

Turn In A Quick Circle

My go-to move to get children to smile for portraits is to have their parent’s hold them and spin in a quick circle. For this, you’ll need to hold your child on your hip, spin, and then stop right when you are facing the camera. Nearly 100% of the time, this will get children to crack a really BIG smile for the camera. This also gets children in the mindset that the session will be a lot of fun 🙂

On Top Of Mom or Dad’s Shoulders

Another really great idea, to get kids to smile is to put them on top of a parent’s shoulders. Some kids like it – but some kids may not. You will know your child the best and will also know a couple of other tricks that may get them smiling.

For Solo Pictures, Having Mom/Dad Do Something Funny Near The Camera

Last, but not least, when we are getting solo images of the kids, having Mom or Dad make funny faces works really well. For these images, I like to have the children close their eyes. And when they open them – Mom and Dad will be making a funny face or doing something else really funny.

There are many other ways to get kids smiling and capturing fun images. These are just a few examples of the types of things we will do to capture really fun and candid images of your family. If you are interested in scheduling family pictures in San Jose, I would love to connect. The best way to reach me is through the contact form on my website. Thanks!