Why should you take family portraits outdoors? Besides the potential for beautiful or fun backgrounds, photographing outside provides the opportunity to use natural lighting. If you are a professional photographer or serious enthusiast then you know that the external flash, studio lights and reflectors work to mimic the beauty of natural light.

If you are new to photography and have a digital compact and built in flash, then taking your family portraits outdoors is the best way to get professional quality portraits that you’ll want to proudly display in a picture frame in your home.

The Best Natural Lighting for Taking Family Portraits Outdoors

Not all outdoors lighting is ideal. The worst time of day to take family portraits outdoors is mid-day. The best times of day to take outdoor photographs is the hour before sunset and after dawn when the shadows are least harsh and the light is the softest. The closer to these times you can gather the family for their portrait, the better.

Another good option is to wait for a cloudy day when there is bright overcast light. This provides enough bright light and is the kind of softness professional photographers spend money on soft boxes to get. If the timing doesn’t work for any of these time frames, find shade that isn’t too dark.

Settings for Outdoor Portraits

The obvious choice and perhaps the best choice is the family’s backyard. Or you could take a cue from high school senior photography and take your outdoors family portrait at a place the family enjoys such as a park. If you go away from home, look for times of the day that the location you choose is the least crowded.

You should also consider using a family activity or a hobby as a potential setting. If the family loves horses, a green pasture with horses in the background and the family posed in front could work well. If the family sails, consider the boat’s deck.

Speaking of boats, a word of caution. If you decide to take outdoor family portraits on a beach, on water or in the snow, select the beach mode on a digital compact or if you use a DSLR or SLR, use a polarizing filter. This will help with the glare. Set the flash to “on” instead of “automatic” to help minimize shadows on the family. Don’t face the family towards the sun or they’ll be squinting.

As with any photo, be sure to remove or hide clutter. Do you want to use the natural lighting of outdoors but want a plain background? Take a piece of material and tack it to something like a fence. Check the lawn for sprinklers and behind the family for things that might be distracting, like a lamp post.

If you want to diminish the overall background, use the Portrait mode or set your Aperture Priority for a smaller depth of field.

On the other hand, you may want to have outdoor features as part of the picture by posing the family in front of a beautiful tree. Just be sure to compose the shot with the focus on the family. And, whatever background you choose, select a picture frame that complements your portrait. For example, if you setting is at the Museum of Modern Art, you probably want to go with a more modern metal picture frame than an old fashioned antique looking frame.

Whether you are taking family portraits outdoors for others or your own family, use these portrait tips and you’ll be sure to take a portrait that will be proudly displayed in a wood picture frame on the family wall.

There are some very good reasons to learn how to take family portraits, and you don’t have to be embarking on a photography career to do so. Having portraits professionally done can be just too expensive for many families. And often it can be difficult to get everyone to the studio at the scheduled time.

Every family deserves to have at least one nice portrait together displayed in a picture frame. And, as a family grows and ages, it’s nice to have additional portraits done too. If you want to learn how to take portraits, learn by taking a portrait of your family or someone you know who would love to have a family portrait! If you are taking a portrait of your family, you have to be in it too! So be sure to use a camera with a timer or remote shutter button release.

If you are new to photography learning how to take family portraits will also give you the opportunity to learn and practice other skills, such as taking that group picture at Thanksgiving or a team picture after the game.

Without further ado, here are some tips to help you get started taking memorable family portraits, whether formal or informal.

1) Avoid the “Police Line Up” Portrait – Instead of having them all line up shoulder to shoulder, try something more natural looking and that also makes it easier to get a big family into the picture.

Staggering is one technique that works well for group photos. For example, you might stagger the family members on the front steps of a porch or on and around boulders near a pond, with some family members standing and others sitting. If in a park, two siblings might sit on a low hanging branch of a tree or all could sit on the lawn clustered together. Show family togetherness by spacing relatively close together. And by staggering the group, it will make it easier to display the picture in a 8×10 picture frame or even something larger like a 11×14 picture frame.

2) Show Relationships – You can do this with placement in the family portrait poses. For example, Grandma and Grandpa might stand next to each, a toddler could be in Mother’s arms, two siblings might have arms slung over each others shoulders, etc.

3) Consider Including the Family Pets – assuming they hold still long enough. Even if the pet is sitting still, you probably should raise the Shutter Speed Priority to 1/125 because even the smallest movement can cause a blur. It is always easier to take an individual portrait of a someone with their pet (or even a pet separately), but if the family has a mellow dog or cat, try to take some poses with and without the family pet.

4) Get Creative with Props – depending upon the type of portrait you want. Does the family play community baseball? Each family member could hold a ball, bat or mitt. This is a trend with individual portraiture that can be fun for families too.

5) Get Everyone Smiling – Instead of just saying “cheese,” put the family at ease (no rhyme intended) by talking to them: compliment, tell a story joke around, and soon they won’t be so nervous about the photographing and their smiles will become more relaxed and real. When you’ve got everyone posed and smiling, ask the family to hold them until you give them the signal that you got the shot.

Finally, make it fun and take lots of shots, so the family can choose the best. You’re sure to get some keepers where the family will feel proud to frame them for all to see.