Pose Like the Pros

Have you ever looked at a family photo and thought that it just looked “off” for some reason? The picture is okay but nothing particularly special. The issue may be in how the people are posed. Professional photographers are masters of posing their subjects; they understand the importance of the right positioning and angles. This holiday season, you can get great family photos by using these posing tips:

Scout Your Location: Take a mental count of how many subjects you’ll have in your photograph. If it’s a particularly large group, you’ll want to make sure that there is a place capable of fitting everyone comfortably, so choose this area well in advance.

Chairs and Other Props: If you have elderly members in the group, make sure you have chairs for them to sit comfortably in. You may wish to put them in the center of the photograph and have young children sit on the floor in front of them. Adult family members can then stand or kneel around the grandparents, who will serve as the ‘anchor center’ in the photograph.

Balance Your Subjects: Take a quick inventory of who will be in the photograph and make sure that the tallest members are in the back and that you can place others in a slightly staggered way so that one person’s head isn’t hidden behind another. Grab a pen and paper and write down each person’s name. You can use this as a cheat sheet to create a posing chart in advance. When your subjects are ready, you’ll have a plan and can get the photo posed and shot quickly, which is important when small children are involved!

Include Yourself! Remember that to leave a space for yourself in the photograph. Just make sure you remember how to set the timer on your camera before getting everyone else posed and ready!

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