Family Portrait Ideas, It's Not Necessarily Fine Art Photography

It would be great to have a standard family portrait pose, with everyone either seated or standing in a row, all dressed up and shining. Many families line up their living room wall with such photos. But wouldn't it be dull and boring if that's all you have? Here are some great family portrait ideas to spice up your collection of family pictures.

For the standard cut and dried pose, make sure you have a theme that everyone will follow. By theme I mean, the type of wardrobe. Have an appropriate background set for it as well. You can dress it up by creating a "natural frame" that will enclose the family, like tree branches or a wide window. If you want a very formal effect, have everyone wear a suit, sit on high back chairs or let the children stand behind their parents, who are seated together on Victorian-like chairs. Make sure the lighting is a bit subdued. Have the photos done in black and white as well. You will the love different effect that black and white photography will show.

Don't stick to just one style, be creative. Include lively family portraits that tell a story. Take pictures that will say something about your family, like what you enjoy doing together. Employ different settings. The next time you go camping or fishing plan to take a family portrait on site. Dress up for the shoot. Find clothes and props that will help make it come alive. Some favorites are barnyard themes, the sixties, and superheroes. Everyone will be enjoying the novelty of it and the great mood will come out in the portrait. You can also experiment with color themes. Have everyone in yellow and then shoot with a background that will make the yellow stand out.

Don't take the photo from one angle only. You can take the photo from an elevated angle. You can have them all peeking out of a pillar or a door or simply lining up a hall way. You can even have the family all lying down on the floor. There are countless possibilities for the shoot. It is always best to take lots and lots of photos and then simply choose the ones you'd like printed and dump those you don't like. Thanks to modern technology you choose which ones you like without having negatives done before you view them. You can even edit the photo itself on your computer. Family photography poses shouldn't be that difficult. Hopefully, this will get the creative juices flowing and give you some great family portrait ideas.

Clair Pruitt is a photography enthusiast who blogs regularly on family portrait ideas [http://www.photography-posing.com/family-portrait-ideas/], and you can read more about all forms of poses at her blog on photography posing [http://www.photography-posing.com/].