Family of 4 poses

One thing I wish I would have focused on earlier in my photography career, was to learn how to pose families in a unique way.  I’m sharing some ideas for family of 4 poses that I hope you find helpful.  Additionally, I have a passion for teaching and sharing more for photographers that are just starting out.  In the world of photography and business there is so much to learn, it’s endless!

Early on in my photography career I had to dig deep and ask some hard questions.  Why would someone hire me over the next photographer in town?  Why would they hire me instead of just taking a phone photo?  What can I offer that’s unique?  There were a lot of answers that came from asking those questions, but one of them was posing.  Learning to create more interesting and unique posing, set me apart from my competition and it was something that potential clients wouldn’t easily be able to replicate or do on their own.  The more unique my art is, the more my services would be needed.

My Best Tips for Photographing families of 4

Today I’m only focusing on posing for families of 4 and want to share some photographs I’ve taken to give you some inspiration and ideas for posing your clients at your next photoshoot.  Think about angles, bending arms or legs in an interesting way.  Not just standing straight with straight at their sides.  Foster connection, have people close and always touching in someway.

Have everyone hold hands and add a little space in between each person.  You can have them play telephone or just prompt them to talk to each other:

As shown below, have your clients get close, sometimes it adds more visual interest if one child is held and one is not or if one child is up on dad’s shoulders:
With young children, have both parents hold them so the children’s faces are closer to the adult’s faces.  Maybe mom’s shoulder is in front of dad’s or she can lean against him and facing away a little.  Get everyone’s faces closer together for a close up shot that parents always love:


Full body while holding the kids. Mom’s shoulder is in front of dads.  Get some fun ones and shots of everyone smiling at the camera:
I love stepping back and incorporating a little bit of scenery behind the family.  Photo on the right, again one child is being held and the other is not.  The child on the ground can hold a hand, hug a leg, lean into dad or touching in some way.
Add a family dog is a fun way to add interest to posing for a family of 4:
Next, walking.  Hold hands like a “train” and have clients “walk” in a line, looking at each other.  Or I have clients walk away from me and then back towards me:  
Lastly, I always love to get a few fun shots that are more relaxed.  Swinging a child or having the little kids run around or chased by their parents always makes fun memories:    

Jenny is a family and commercial photographer in Westerville, Ohio.  Specializing in luxury photography for families who want to preserve their legacy in print.