Keeping it in the family: Photo tips for family photo shoots

By Mike O'Connor | 27 February 2024
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I’m guessing many of you are (by default) the photographer in your family, which means you and your camera are trotted out at every milestone to capture all those important moments. And while this can be a drag when you’ve got the Christmas turkey to stuff, it’s also a real honour – and something I enjoy more and more as I’ve become comfortable behind the camera.

These days, I’ve been photographing my own family for many years, and nowadays I’m often asked to capture other people’s families as well.

In this feature, I wanted to share a few tips I’ve picked up along the way for dealing with the trickiest of subjects – kids who don’t like their photo being taken, as well as sharing a few tips for how you can capture milestone photos you and your loved ones will cherish. So, let's dive in. 

This was a staged shot, but a good example of visualising and using lights to ‘build’ the frame. In my mind I knew that a black background would emphasise the tangle of christmas tree leds, and it was simply a matter of getting the settings right and then waiting for the right expression. In set-ups like these, take tons of shots until you get the right moment, and choose a fast enough shutter speed to ensure what you do capture is sharp. Sony A7 III, Sony 85mm f1.8 lens. 1/200s @ f1.8, ISO 1250.
This was a staged shot, but a good example of visualising and using lights to ‘build’ the frame. In my mind I knew that a black background would emphasise the tangle of christmas tree leds, and it was simply a matter of getting the settings right and then waiting for the right expression. In set-ups like these, take tons of shots until you get the right moment, and choose a fast enough shutter speed to ensure what you do capture is sharp. Sony A7 III, Sony 85mm f1.8 lens. 1/200s @ f1.8, ISO 1250.

Know your gear inside out

If you’ve got 20 members of the extended family standing around in your garden while you fiddle around with your exposure compensation, you’re making life hard for yourself.

People have short attention spans and learning what your gear does inside and out will massively increase your success rate of keeper shots.

Key is to learn your buttons and shortcut menus so you can quickly change any commonly used settings in your sleep. A classic example is knowing how to set a shutter delay if you’re setting up a shot on a tripod, or knowing how to quickly change the camera drive mode to shoot a burst.

Most importantly, before you gather everyone around for a shot, get the camera in the right settings and ready to go – nobody likes retakes! 

Candid moments in the backyard. I like to use depth in photos to add interest, and in many cases it doesn’t matter if parts of the frame are in focus or not. Here, a straight on shot of my daughter with the apple in her mouth would have been nice, but by adding my youngest daughter in the foreground adds context. Google Pixel 7 Pro. 1/150s @ f9, ISO 46.
Candid moments in the backyard. I like to use depth in photos to add interest, and in many cases it doesn’t matter if parts of the frame are in focus or not. Here, a straight on shot of my daughter with the apple in her mouth would have been nice, but by adding my youngest daughter in the foreground adds context. Google Pixel 7 Pro. 1/150s @ f9, ISO 46.

Working with tricky, fast-moving subjects

Family means kids, and working with these slippery little buggers is one of the toughest challenges in all photography. This could be a whole article on its own, but here’s a couple of points to help.

Firstly, most kids won’t be used to someone sticking a big ol’ camera lens in their face, so let them be curious. Show them what it is, what it does, and don’t worry too much if they want to touch buttons - it’s just a tool after all.

Recently, I did a family photography session where my friend’s six-year-old did not want to take part at all. He spent the first 15 minutes pulling faces in every photo while his parents looked on in horror.

To disarm him, I joked along with him and showed him the photos I was taking on the back of the screen as we went along. After a while he got bored of messing around and started to relax, allowing me to start taking much nicer images.

One of the most chaotic scenes I’ve ever photographed, as my then three-year-old daughter was wowed (and incredibly hyped-up) by a visually overwhelming 3d Van Gogh exhibition I took her to in Sydney. Once I settled on the right ISO for the low-light in the room, it was a matter of waiting for a moment of calm in all the chaos, as hundreds of people milled around. Sony A7C, Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM lens. 1/30s @ f1.4, ISO 800.
One of the most chaotic scenes I’ve ever photographed, as my then three-year-old daughter was wowed (and incredibly hyped-up) by a visually overwhelming 3d Van Gogh exhibition I took her to in Sydney. Once I settled on the right ISO for the low-light in the room, it was a matter of waiting for a moment of calm in all the chaos, as hundreds of people milled around. Sony A7C, Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM lens. 1/30s @ f1.4, ISO 800.

If you’re struggling with a particularly difficult subject, remember to relax, and don’t be afraid to give a troublesome kid a job to do.

By the end, I had my friend’s son acting as my assistant, suggesting locations around the house to shoot, and helping me carry my gear which he really enjoyed. Make your subjects feel part of the process and they’ll enjoy it much more.

Exploring the Aquarium in Sydney harbour. This is one of those shots I always wished I had my ‘real’ camera with me to capture, but even a smartphone shot is better than no shot! Here, I wanted to capture some of the excitement and awe in my daughter as the sealife soared overhead. Vivo X70 Pro+. 1/170s @ f2.2, ISO 56.
Exploring the Aquarium in Sydney harbour. This is one of those shots I always wished I had my ‘real’ camera with me to capture, but even a smartphone shot is better than no shot! Here, I wanted to capture some of the excitement and awe in my daughter as the sealife soared overhead. Vivo X70 Pro+. 1/170s @ f2.2, ISO 56.

Using available light

It’s likely that much of your family photography will be captured with available light, and while you shouldn’t shy away from using flash if you’re comfortable using it, it does become just another variable to manage.

These days I’m quite happy to just look at what the light is doing and move my subjects in and around it, or manipulate it subtly with a pop-up reflector which I always bring in my camera bag. A couple of things to try – diffused window light is great for intimate portraits.

Position your subject(s) next to a window and watch how the light falls on their face. If the lighting is unbalanced, you can move them closer or further away from the window.

Like with all photography, you’ll want to avoid shooting in the middle of the day, but sometimes you won’t have a choice, especially with capturing family events.

In these situations, position your subjects with the sun behind them so they’re not squinting into the bright light. Your camera should be able to handle the high dynamic range.

A simple family portrait. For this shot I was lying flat on the ground to be at eye level with the kids. I asked the parents to look at the kids to make the shot appear more natural. Sony A7 IV, Sony 85mm f1.8 lens @ f4. ISO 1600.
A simple family portrait. For this shot I was lying flat on the ground to be at eye level with the kids. I asked the parents to look at the kids to make the shot appear more natural. Sony A7 IV, Sony 85mm f1.8 lens @ f4. ISO 1600.

Identifying and waiting for the right moment

My favourite type of photography is candid, and of my own family, it’s the candid photos I’ve captured over the years I enjoy the most. Early on, I realised that you can pre-empt many moments by anticipating the action and having your camera set to a high drive mode with continuous autofocus – especially when shooting fast-moving kids.

In fact, high drive mode is probably your best bet of capturing something special, even in posed photos, as it will allow you to pick up those little things – the moment two people share an affectionate glance, the moment someone breaks into laughter, or the moment someone falls of a chair.

Our modern cameras let us capture lots of photos, so don’t be afraid to take heaps. I also love to get close and low, especially when photographing kids.

People might look at you funny the first time you lie completely flat on the ground with your camera inches from their face, but they’ll understand when they see the results!

My youngest daughter Clara a couple of months after she was born. This was a relatively straightforward shot captured in the afternoon to give a rim-light (or halo) around her. My wife kindly held the wriggling subject while I shot at a shallow depth of field of f4. I could have shot at f1.8, but wanted to ensure her whole body was sharp. Sony A7 III, Sony 85mm f1.8 lens @ f4, ISO 200.
My youngest daughter Clara a couple of months after she was born. This was a relatively straightforward shot captured in the afternoon to give a rim-light (or halo) around her. My wife kindly held the wriggling subject while I shot at a shallow depth of field of f4. I could have shot at f1.8, but wanted to ensure her whole body was sharp. Sony A7 III, Sony 85mm f1.8 lens @ f4, ISO 200.

Choosing the right gear

I strongly believe that knowing your gear is more important than the gear you use, but if you were to ask me what my dream kit would be for a family photo shoot it would probably be relatively simple - a fast general purpose lens like a 24-70mm f/2.8, or a couple of faster primes such as a 35mm, and my favourite portrait lens, an 85mm.

When it comes to camera bodies, being able to flip out your rear screen is invaluable for getting low and can be useful for framing images as well.

Finally, my trusty pop-up reflector has saved my bacon on more than one occasion, especially so if you have harsh shadows to work with. Bigger is better, and they shouldn’t set you back more than about $50. Kids love 'em too.

An example of using window light. Here, it was just a matter of positioning my wife and daughter next to morning light in our old house. After a B&W conversion I burned the right side of frame in post to emphasise the light. Sony A7 III, Sony 85mm f1.8 lens @ f1.4. 1/125s @ f1.4, ISO 100.
An example of using window light. Here, it was just a matter of positioning my wife and daughter next to morning light in our old house. After a B&W conversion I burned the right side of frame in post to emphasise the light. Sony A7 III, Sony 85mm f1.8 lens @ f1.4. 1/125s @ f1.4, ISO 100.

Post shoot

With family photography, you’ll quickly realise that in an era of instant sharing, people want those family photos right now. My advice is to turn them around quick so people aren’t seeing Uncle Chester’s 50th birthday shots on his 52nd.

With editing, I’ve always found kids’ skin doesn’t respond well to too much clarity or sharpening, so ease off that slider. I also like to warm up the colour temperature of family photos a little to give those warm fuzzy vibes, but be careful you don’t overcook it and turn your subjects into Oompa Loompas.

Finally, if you do find yourself forced to shoot in crappy light, the old failsafe of black and white can look great and make those blown highlights disappear. ❂

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