As a photographer, do you ever show up to a photo shoot full of excitement and expectancy, only to get 10 minutes into the session and feel stuck?

I'm a long time family photographer, but it doesn't mean I've forgotten about what it felt like in those early days. I remember panic would set in thinking, "what do I do next?" or "how can I get the little kids to smile when they're being uncooperative?"!

I felt at a loss to really get those candid moments and basically just moved clients around different areas asking them to do the same easy pose-- just keep smiling at the camera!

If you've ever been stuck, panicked or felt that sweat of pressure when your clients are looking at you for direction, you're in the right place! I'm gonna go over a variety of different poses and prompts that will help you capture those authentic family photos and natural smiles.

Natural Family Photo Poses

Lifestyle family photography is something I've specialized in the last few years. It's a way to really capture the essence of a family and their connection in more candid shots and interactions. I always start a session with typical family poses, such as gathering everyone to look at the camera and smile, but will continue on to get everyone moving and ideally laughing or maybe being a little silly!

A group hug always draws in the family closer and gets rid of any of those awkward gaps. I like to have everyone having a hand on someone nearby whether it's a shoulder or around the back. This creates a feeling of togetherness and connects everyone in the photo. An intimate family photo shows off their love!

From a group hug or huddle, I'll tell everyone to look at someone in the family. You can make this more interesting by calling out prompts like, "Look at the person who sleeps in the latest!" or "Everyone look at whoever likes ice cream the most". This not only makes it interactive, it switches up the pose a bit and grabs different facial expressions.

Family Portraits with Young Kids

I used to really wear myself out during sessions with toddlers. I walked away from these sessions exhausted and truly hoping I got at least a few good smiles during the session. Now, I thrive off family portrait sessions with young children!

What changed? My approach became much more connection-centered and play-based! My list of poses I normally rattled off weren't always hitting home, so now I incorporate a lot more prompts versus posing every micro movement of the family. Playing is the best way to get natural interactions and real smiles! I also move on a shot if the kid is not into it. This is called child-led posing and it helps ease tension if the kid(s) are having a hard time and puts less stress on the parents to make their child “behave”. I just move on to another prompt or give the kid(s) a break!

5 Games for Younger Children at a Family Shoot

1.) Airplane Arm Pumps

This a go-to prompt for toddlers who are having a hard time smiling in front of the camera or acting super serious. Little kids love the feeling of flying and it brings their focus back to their parent playing with them instead of the lady with the big, black box-thing in front of her face! I love to have everyone else in the photo looking at the kid flying and smiling or cheering them.

2.) Tickle Fest

This usually works best with preschool age and elementary age kids. Older kids just seem to be more ticklish! Start with a sitting pose with the entire family on a blanket or perhaps a log with parents on either side of the kids. Go ahead a take the look-at-the-camera shot, but then tell the parents to sneak attack the kids with tickles and watch the smiles and laughter ensue! A great alternative to this shot is have the kids "sneak attack" their parents with tickles. This gives the kids a sense of control and action shots are always fun for children!

3.) Blanket Parachute

Having a blanket handy at any photo shoot is always a good idea, but it doesn't always have to be for sitting on! I often pull this trick out of the bag when toddlers are squirming and not wanting to sit still. Tell the parents (or grandparents if you're shooting extended family) to each hold a side of the blanket. Have the kids on the other side of the blanket opposite you and have them run under the blanket towards you. This always elicits smiles, even from older children! You could also have the kids stand under the blanket while mom and dad play peek-a-boo as the blanket goes up and down!

4.) Run and Jump

This is an easy prompt to use at your next family photo session. Simply have the kids (usually about 4 and under) about 15 feet away from their parents and have mom and dad extend their arms out to them. The kids run towards the parents and then get scooped up for a hug or an airplane. Little ones think this is so much fun! You can do this from various angles to mix it up.

5.) Spin around

This one I love to do with a little girl and her father or mother. It can be done in a variety of ways. Just pick what feels natural! If the daughter has a flowy dress, this is a great way to get motion in your photo by having the dad spin or twirl the girl around. Another way to do this is have mom hold son or daughter with legs around her waist. Mom supports their back and spins around, letting the child's hair fly or head dip for the ultimate fun! you're sure to get genuine smiles and giggles from this one.

Top Tips for Preparing for Your Session

I think it's important to form some kind of relationship with your client before ever taking out that camera. This may look different from photographer to photographer, but I like to chat on the phone before they even book the shoot. Hearing their voice and their vision for their shoot helps to nurture my connection to them.

From booking, I stay in touch with some helpful advice on prepping and wardrobe assistance. Finally, I will send a client questionnaire to get more details on their family, everyone's names and ages, and even ask if the kids have favorite characters or songs!

I can potentially utilize these nuggets of knowledge during the session to sing a song and bring a smile to a camera shy child or bring out small PEZ character to put on my hot shoe! I have a collection of PEZ to use at my disposal for this very reason! Just buy a few online and cut the bottom part to fit into your hot shoe (where you would slide a flash).

Connecting with your client is important to helping them feel comfortable in front of the camera. I advise keeping communication open and hand-holding leading up to the session to help them feel supported and confident going into the session. From there, chit-chat before and between shots is important too! Be friendly, ask questions, get down on the kids’ level and have fun. All of this will help translate into a stress-free and laid back experience!

To see more of my authentic poses, head over to my gallery to get some inspiration!