Tampa Photography Blog

Many clients like to photograph their family members in between sessions with a professional. It’s not only possible to do this as an amateur photographer but it can be easy and fun if you follow a few guidelines.

1)      Choose the right location. Think about what kind of family you are and pick a location that fits your style. Are you an artsy family that likes to dress up for special occasions? Maybe Ybor City is your style. Are you easy going beach bums with pets? Try Honeymoon Island Dog Beach. Do you love the thrill of amusement parks? Busch Gardens and Adventure Island in Tampa are great places to show your personalities for family portraits.

2)      Choose a time with the best light. Photographers call the light at sunrise and sunset “God’s light” because it’s perfect. Most people don’t want to shoot their family portraits at sunrise so aim for sunset. Arrive at your location about two hours before sunset so you can pick a place and you’ll have plenty of time to get what you need.

3)      Ensure everyone is well fed and rested. Eating a light early dinner before the shoot is a great idea. Make sure everyone had a good night’s sleep the previous night and if naps are necessary for kids, make sure they get them before you leave the house.

4)      Bring entertainment for the kids. If you’re going to an amusement park for the day, you don’t have to worry about anything! But if you’re going to a park, beach or other public place, games work best to keep everyone in a fun state of mind. On some of my family portrait shoots, families have brought water guns, silly string, sand castle shovels, Nerf balls and horseshoes.

5)      Be aware of the weather. If it’s a hot July afternoon in Florida, bring lots of cold water in a cooler so no one gets dehydrated. If the adults need some caffeine to keep their energy up, bring your soda or coffee with you or make a last-minute trip to Starbucks on the way! And, of course, dress for the weather. If you’re shooting family portraits in the middle of summer, bring comfortable clothing like tank tops, shorts and flip flops. And if senior members of the family are participating in the session, bring umbrellas and hand-held fans for them so they don’t overheat in the hot Tampa sun.

6)      Choose comfortable, “non-clashing” clothing. Some families like everyone to wear the same outfit. That’s not necessary to make a great portrait. Every person has their own personality so it’s not imperative that you dress the same. If you’d like to dress similar, choose one color that everyone can work around. If you choose blue, allow people to wear different shades of blue and different kinds of clothing—polos, tank tops, strapless shirts, button-ups, etc. Also, everyone can wear variations of blue with designs like stripes, plaids, solids, etc. If you don’t want to have a unifying color, just choose colors that go well together—pink and brown, black and red, etc.

7)      Create a reward for the kids. Maybe you can take them for ice cream or pizza after the session. Or give them an incentive like extra time doing one of their favorite activities at home. Kids always cooperate more when they know the goal and reward.

8)      If you don’t have a camera with a timer, you won’t get the entire family in the photo so let family members take turns shooting the photos. If your kids are old enough, allow them to be a part of the session by showing them how to shoot photos of mom and dad. You might be surprised how good they are at it!

9)      Clean up your backgrounds. When you’re shooting, make sure there are no other distractions in the background that would take away from your photo. If you’re shooting at a park, look for tree limbs and other families or parties that might pop up in your photos. If you’re at the beach, you probably have fewer trees to battle with but you might have more people. There’s nothing more upsetting than looking at your family portraits at home and realizing there’s a stranger in the background!

10)  Have fun! Family portraits are supposed to be fun family time and not a stressful, horrible experience. If you follow these steps, I promise you you’ll have no regrets!