There are a variety of interesting poses for great family portraits.
Even if you're not a professional photographer, you can still take exceptional pictures if you learn choose the right kinds of poses. Capturing the right moment often comes down to how the subject of a picture is composed, and how the background is used to enhance the picture. If you're interested in taking great family portraits, there are some poses that will help create the best photos.
Head and Shoulders
The head and shoulders pose usually works best for couples or parents, and is a close-up shot that includes the head and just the top part of the shoulder. Position the couple close together, and only have one of them stare into the camera, creating a sense of togetherness. You can also position the couple so that they're staring at each other in profile as if unaware of being caught in a special moment.
Lying on the Floor
An interesting pose that's ideal for a family portrait is to have the subjects lie down on their stomachs with their chins resting on their upraised arms, and their legs raised and crossed around the calves. If it's just a picture of one or more kids in a family, you can line them up and have them face the camera for the picture. If the photo includes both parents, you should make the father the center of the composition, and arrange the rest of the family around him. You can even have one of the children mount his back for an interesting twist on the traditional pose.
Motion
An interesting way to showcase a family having fun in a portrait is to employ motion poses that capture them in various activities. A common pose is having all members of a family link hands and start running towards the camera. This allows you to take pictures in various modes of action and demonstrate a sense of spontaneity and freedom that is one of the hallmarks of a happy family. You can also use motion poses at different locations, such as a family running on a beach, swimming at a lake or playing some kind of sport.
Lying Down Staring Up
A unique way to pose a family for a portrait is to have them lie down on their backs in a circle with their heads touching, and take photos from a standing level so that you create an interesting point-of-view contrast. You can position the family so that they're staring up at the camera or give them props that they can play with as you take the picture, resulting in a more relaxed, impromptu photograph.
Eyes Closed, Heads Touching
Another interesting pose that works well for a family of three is for a sleeping child to be positioned in the middle of a mother and father whose eyes are closed with their heads barely touching. This can show the love and bond of parents with their young children and the closed eyes are a great representation of peace and contentment. This works better if the child is asleep, but if the child is awake, you can change the composition and also have the parents open their eyes.
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