7 Genius Tips For Family Self-Portraits

Kids grow up so fast. While you probably have a lot of pictures of your kids already, we think we’d all love to get more snaps of the whole family together! This can be an ordeal … or it can be turned into a fun family-bonding event. Here’s some tips to make it less of a chore!

Super helpful gadgets: A tripod & remote. These are two items you will get a lot of use out of, and can be picked up at very reasonable prices these days. Make sure you do some test runs yourself to make sure there’s no time spent on technical fixes while everyone waits around. A tripod means you don’t need to worry about balancing the camera anywhere precarious, and the remote means no one is running back and forth to the camera. If you simply can’t get a hold of these for your photo day, ask a friend to step in.

Set up your setting, kid-free. Choose a space that has a good amount of light, maybe even outside – weather permitting! Have any props, chairs etc. already there for easy, quick rearranging so kids don’t get bored and you can get as many chances for a great shot in a short space of time. Get imaginative with fun props to turn it into an enjoyable bit of family time! Do all this before gathering the family together, it will be much easier and stress-free!

Countdown together – Simple yet effective. Involve everyone and ensure they’re all photo-ready by counting down from 5 together.  If you have a remote clicker, take a few candid shots where no one is prepared – sometimes these can turn out to be the most natural and fun photos to look back on! And if not – we are sure there will be some great ‘bloopers’.

Embrace the silliness. Mix up the more formal pictures with some silliness to avoid anyone getting bored, and to simply let kids be kids! Have fun and get some shots you can all look back on and have a laugh together.

One person rule. For some different shots instead of everyone always facing the camera, try out the one person at a time rule. For each snap, nominate someone to be the center of attention. Everyone could look at that one person, they could stand still while everyone else plays around them or (if it’s someone small enough!) everyone else could pick them up. Try to let each person choose something to do to also let everyone feel like they are a part of this event and stay engaged.

Heading out? Document it & get crafty! If you’re on a day out, you could document your day with a photo in different locations. If you’ve planned enough in advance you could even let your kids create a little sign which they can decorate in any way they would like depicting a location you will visit.  This can be then starred in the photos. It’s a great way to encourage kids to want to take part in these family photo opportunities, and make organizing photo albums easy!

Pre-plan outfits. This can be easily forgotten, but try to plan a little beforehand about what to wear. This doesn’t mean everyone has to be wearing the same thing, but aim to at least stick to a color scheme so you’re all complementing each other! You could have a bit of fun if everyone is up for it and have a fun outfit everyone has – maybe as simple as everyone changing into their favorite outfit! It will get the young ones excited about the photo shoot and keep everyone smiling.