Photographing large families is my FAVORITE! But it can be tricky… There are a few tips to making it fun and successful.

Give Everyone A Partner

One of the hardest parts about photographing big families is making sure everyones faces are pleasant! It’s super hard to keep an eye on everyone. So in each pose I like to buddy up siblings! Older kids get a younger kid. That way when I ask everyone to interact, they know who to go to. As the session goes on, I will get an idea of who to buddy up for best results.

Prompts over Poses

Sure it’s possible to get posed photos with big families, but the best ones will be when everyone is playing and interacting. Keeping little kids moving and playing will absolutely give you more genuine photos.

Keep Them Moving!

Anytime a kid is heading towards meltdown I make sure they can move. Even if it’s just back and forth between me and the rest of the family. One of my favorite things to do is to whisper to a kid something to do or say to their family and then have them run back. I use games like red light green light and follow the leader to get everyone to relax. I don’t always get photos during these games but it’s a great way to get the wiggles out. The best photos happen when the kids are enjoying themselves.

Use Your Environment

I make sure to pick my locations for large families intentionally. Finding a spot that we can move around is key. I also like to use things like rocks, trees, water to keep the kiddos engaged.

Give the Kids a Job

I mentioned one way to do this above, but I use this all session long. For example, I ask little brother to make big sister laugh. I tell them to look for squirrels. I ask the kiddos to tell me something that mom and dad does that makes them laugh. Just standing and smiling is not enough to keep kiddos interested for very long.