Tips for Lifestyle Family Photos

Do you ever see photos of families on Instagram and feel like you’ll never have photos like that because your family just isn’t “photogenic”? Perhaps you’ve even hired a professional photographer before, but all you got were forced smiles. Well gone are the days of stiff, heavily posed family photos. The great news is that anyone can get beautiful lifestyle family photos if they have the right approach. Here are my top 3 tips for swoon-worthy family photos, even if you don’t categorize your family as “photogenic.”

1) HAVE FUN!: I know it sounds cheesy, but there’s really something to it! View your photo session as an hour of family fun time. If you focus on having fun with your family, your photos will naturally emit joy. Step 1 is to get your spouse on board. Your kids will feed off the energy of their parents. Step 2 is presenting the photo session to your kids as a fun opportunity for play. Here’s an example:

“Hey! I’m super excited because today we get to go to the park as a family and play together! This will be a little different from other times we’ve gone to the park, but it’s going to be SO fun! My friend Ms Kelsey will be there taking pictures, and she’s super silly. I can’t wait to hang out with you and Daddy, and I’m excited to show you the pictures later. Do you think we should take a picture of you on Daddy’s shoulders?”

2) SKIP THE BRIBES: The belief that photo-taking is a painful experience is a *learned belief*. In my experience, kids have a blast and are often sad for it to end. So instead of offering up bribes at shot number 1, keep them in your back pocket and only bring them out if necessary. Offering bribes signals to your kid that they’re doing something they don’t want to be doing. But remember…if the parents are on board and having fun…kids will feed off of that energy and have fun too!

3) CHOOSE THE RIGHT PHOTOGRAPHER: The photographer you choose MATTERS! If you want all the beautiful in-between moments, dreamy behind-the-scenes type shots, and joyful laughter, you need to hire a photographer that specializes in this. Any photographer you’re considering should have an online gallery full of photos that are aspirational for you. If you don’t want a super posey photographer, don’t hire the photographer that features loads of posey shots in their portfolio. If you want a photographer who is great with young kids, hire a photographer who shows lots of photos with young kids in their portfolio. Don’t assume that we all do everything! For example… I’m absolute garbage at taking inspiring landscape photos. I hate doing it, and it shows! A photographer’s website shows their best work. Don’t assume they specialize in anything other than what they’re showing you.

Now get out there a book a photographer you vibe with! You won’t regret capturing memories with your family :)

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A family, standing in front of beautiful Pittsburgh fall foliage, looks at each other and laughs. The toddler is sitting on his dad's shoulders

A mom holds her 2 young children, surrounded by fall leaves. They sit on the steps of Mellon Park in Pittsburgh, PA. The mom looks at her daughter, smiling

A young girl walks hand in hand with her parents. She has beautiful brown curly hair and is smiling big

A family of 5 walks through a field. The youngest son is being carried by the dad. The sun is setting in the background

Kelsey Cunningham 5/29/24 Kelsey Cunningham 5/29/24

Why Hire a Professional?

My kids are now 1 and 3.5, and WOW is it hard to get a decent photo of our crew! My son likes to turn around so his back is to the camera. If he decides to be helpful, he’ll try to get my 1 year old to smile…which backfires, in that he’s never looking at the camera! Despite my best efforts, every time I hand my camera to a friend or family member to *try* to take a photo of everyone looking and smiling…it turns out pretty terribly. And let’s all keep in mind, that I am a professional family photographer with the newest and best camera.

So what have I learned? That my family has leveled up into desperately NEEDING a professional behind the camera. And not just any professional…we need someone who understands how kids work. We need someone who can manage camera settings, get the attention of TWO children, and entertain them in a way that achieves natural smiles. It’s no easy job!

One of my favorite compliments I get from parents is when they refer to me as a “magician.” It holds all new meaning to me now! When I stand behind the camera, I jump around, fake sneeze, run back and forth, and do all sorts of silly things with my little stuffed monkey friend. If you’re a client of mine with small children, I’m sure you’re familiar with all of these tactics! I look like an absolute lunatic, I’m sure! But boy is it worth the smiles…

I love lifestyle imagery full of laughter and hugs and play, but I’m absolutely guilty of wanting to have just 1 shot of everyone smiling and looking. So if you value this type of photo (even if just occasionally), do yourself a favor and hire a professional!

Now please enjoy a few recent shots of my family that were…less than ideal…

Screenshot 2024-05-29 at 10.04.34 PM.png

This may sound shocking, but these were the photos that I didn’t delete. Meaning that they were the halfway decent ones (or at least worth a laugh). And no…my son was definitely not asleep in that last one. He was just feeling very 3.

But here’s proof that he genuinely smiles for photos sometimes:

Listen, it’s not easy. Photographing kids is HARD sometimes. And I have no expectation that my friends and family will do the sorts of crazy things I do behind the camera! And that is precisely why I will have a professional take photos of my family next time. I hope you’ll do the same!

Kelsey Cunningham 11/15/23 Kelsey Cunningham 11/15/23

Nailing the dreaded iPhone Family Photo

I know it can seem like a lost cause to hand your mom the phone and try to get a shot of everyone smiling on Christmas. When young kids are involved, that shot is NOT easy to get! Here’s what I do.

1) Before asking the closest person to take the shot, take a quick glance around the room. Your 90 year old grandmother will probably struggle with your iPhone. Your brother-in-law will take 1 shot and be done. But your 16 year old niece who spends hours on social media?….potential! Another great option is picking the person in the room who your kids find the funniest. If your iPhone photographer can get your kids to smile, your job just became a lot easier!

2) Consider asking the person taking the photo to get click-happy! You can always delete the bad shots later. If it’s someone you know well, you can even ask them to click through the crazy and not wait for everyone to be looking and smiling. (This is especially important if you’re hoping for a fun candid shot.)

3) Don’t get the kids until you’re ready to take the picture. Maybe this just applies to people with active toddlers…but you don’t want to waste that short attention span on the moment before the shot is being taken.

4) Consider holding children who are small enough for this. It’s much easier to control the photo when you have your child close!

5) Make it fun for the kids! Here are some tactics:

The fake-out drop (When you pretend to almost-drop your baby/toddler for a laugh. Make sure YOU keep looking at the camera and smiling though!)
Run into the shot (Anyone else have a wild 2 year old? I like to “fly” him into the shot like an airplane. The hope is that he’ll still be smiling for the moment the photo is taken. Again…make sure YOU keep looking at the camera and smiling!)
Say something you’ll know they’ll laugh at right as the picture is being taken. “Ew! I smell stinky feet!!! yUuUuCk!!!”
Tickles! What kid doesn’t love tickles?
Swing your kid by the arms (if this is a game you play and they enjoy)
Hang your kid upside down (again…assuming this is a thing your child enjoys and you feel comfortable with)
Blow raspberries or make silly kissy noise for your baby

The photos below were taken (on my camera) by my husband, a family member, or while sitting on a tripod!