Fun And Engaging Family Portraits With Older Kids

Three Tips on How To Take Fun And Engaging Family Portraits With Older Kids

Whether you take family portraits every year, or you have never taken family portraits before, I believe that family portraits should be fun and candid! The best photos are ones that capture everyone’s personality and do not feel overly posed. As your Photographer, one of the things I consider is the age of your kids. If I am working with a family with a child who is two years old, for example, I would pose them much differently than I would a child that is 8 years old. Here are a few tips on how I like to take fun and engaging family portraits with older kids 😉

Don’t Be Afraid To Be Silly

Fun And Engaging Family Portraits With Older Kids

The best family portraits come from embracing a relaxed and playful mood. It’s always better to be more silly than stiff! If your kids see that you are relaxed and having fun, chances are that they will be to. Keep in mind that the more relaxed you are, the easier it will be to get your kids into these same feelings. This also means not taking yourself too seriously! I find that when clients take themselves less seriously and have a little fun with their portraits, they usually end up with fantastic images.

Not Always Looking At The Camera

Another way I capture fun and engaging family portraits with older kids is to take the focus off of the camera. Rather than taking a lot of images where everyone is looking right into the camera, I like to get a mix of images of everyone interacting. There are a lot of fun ways to do this. For example, I may ask mom or dad to tell me something interesting about one of the kids. Capturing the response and everyone’s reaction can lead to a lot of fun images. In my experience, keeping the session conversational makes everyone feel comfortable.

Incorporating Poses Where You Are Not Standing Still

Perhaps the best way to take fun and engaging family portraits with older kids is to get everyone moving! I love incorporating poses where you are not standing still. For example, many Photographers like to take the traditional “walking pose.” This is a pose I use in almost every session – but I also like to add a twist to it. I may have everyone sing a fun song to sings as they walk or I may simply have you walk backwards 🙂

I like to keep the poses fun, engaging, and age-appropriate for kids. Using a lot of humor and laughter to create great images is always a favorite among families who want something different from your typical family portrait. Every family that I shoot is different than the next and I like to keep an open mind when photographing different families. Giving you and your family the opportunity to have fun with each other by incorporating candid and engaging poses will ensure that everyone has a good time.

Hopefully these fun tips have been helpful in envisioning your own family portrait session. Thanks!