Posing for Portraits
How I Pose Families & Large Groups for Natural, Beautiful Photos in Palm Beach County
Family Photography Tips from Curly Girl Photography
Have you ever tried getting 10, 15 or even 20 family members together for a photo?
Someone is looking away. Someone blinked. A toddler has decided they're officially done. Grandpa can't hear the photographer. One kid is suddenly starving. And somehow there's always one person standing three feet away from everyone else.
Welcome to photographing large families. 😂
But here's the thing: large family photos don't have to look stiff, awkward or overly posed.
When I photograph families, couples and extended groups throughout Palm Beach County, my goal isn't just to create the traditional everyone-looking-at-the-camera photograph.
Of course, we're getting that one. Grandma needs it.
But I also want photographs that actually feel like your family.
The laughing. The hugging. The kids being ridiculous. The way your children look at you. The grandparents surrounded by their grandchildren.
So how do we get there?
I Start With Connection, Not Perfect Posing
One of the biggest mistakes people make when taking a group photo is lining everyone up shoulder-to-shoulder.
Suddenly your beautiful family portrait looks suspiciously like everyone is waiting to board a cruise ship.
Instead, I build the group around relationships.
Couples stay connected.
Kids stay near their parents.
Grandparents might become the center of a multi-generational family portrait.
Then I build everyone around them using different heights, positions and layers.
The goal is to make the entire group feel like one composition instead of 15 individually posed people.
Yes, I'm Going to Tell You to Get Closer
And then I'm probably going to tell you to get even closer.
What feels like perfectly normal personal space in real life can look like a giant gap in a photograph.
So you'll hear me say things like:
“Squeeze in!”
“Get closer!”
“Heads together!”
“Put your arm around them!”
And possibly:
“You guys DO like each other, right?”
That physical connection makes an enormous difference.
Shoulders touching, arms around waists, kids leaning into parents and couples tucked together make a photograph immediately feel warmer and more natural.
I Create Different Heights and Layers
Great group photographs usually have some shape to them.
Instead of placing everyone's head along one perfectly straight line, I'll create different levels using whatever the location gives us.
That could mean sitting on a bench, using stairs or rocks, having children sit near the front, placing taller family members toward the back or simply staggering people slightly.
I'm often looking for subtle triangles throughout the group.
You probably won't notice any of this while I'm photographing you.
You'll just know that somehow 14 people magically fit into one photograph.
That's the plan.
I Keep Families Together
For extended-family sessions, I don't randomly place people according to height.
I want the photograph to make sense emotionally too.
I'll usually keep individual family units together while building them around the grandparents or another central family member.
This creates natural opportunities for connection and also makes it much easier to transition into smaller groupings later.
And we WILL photograph those smaller groups.
If you've managed to get your entire extended family dressed, coordinated and standing in front of my camera at the same time, we're taking advantage of it.
Depending on your family, we might photograph:
The entire extended family
Grandparents with grandchildren
Grandparents with their adult children
Each individual family
Siblings
Cousins
Mom with the kids
Dad with the kids
Each couple
All the children together
Those smaller combinations often end up becoming some of the family's favorite photographs.
What About the Kids?
Here's my philosophy:
We work with kids, not against them.
I'm not expecting a three-year-old to stand perfectly still while I carefully position twelve adults.
I'll usually get the adults into place first and bring little ones in toward the end.
Toddlers can be held, sit on someone's lap, stand between their parents or cuddle with a grandparent.
And if they need to move?
We move.
Sometimes the photograph of your child laughing while running toward you becomes far more meaningful than the perfectly posed photograph we were originally trying to create.
First We Get “The Picture”
You know the one.
Everyone looking at the camera.
Everyone smiling.
Eyes open.
Hair reasonably behaving despite the South Florida humidity.
We get that photograph FIRST.
Once I know I have it, we can play.
I'll start giving little prompts.
“Everyone look at the youngest person.”
“Parents, look at each other.”
“Kids, look at Mom.”
“Everybody squeeze together.”
“Look at the person who takes the longest to get ready.”
That's usually when the real laughter starts.
And that's where some of my favorite photographs happen.
One Pose Can Become Five Completely Different Photos
I don't want to spend your entire session constantly rearranging everyone.
Once I have a group positioned beautifully, I'll photograph several variations.
Everyone looking at me.
Everyone looking at each other.
Parents looking at their children.
Kids laughing.
A giant family hug.
Then we'll make a few small changes and do it again.
This creates a gallery with variety without making your family feel like they're participating in a two-hour posing workshop.
And Then We Stop Posing
Once we have the photographs we need, I love letting things loosen up.
Walk down the beach.
Hold hands.
Let the kids run.
Pick up your toddler.
Hug your spouse.
Talk to each other.
Laugh.
Be weird.
Be YOUR family.
Those little in-between moments are often where the magic lives.
You Don't Need to Know How to Pose
This might be the most important part.
You don't need to arrive at your family session knowing what to do.
That's my job.
You don't need to research poses on Pinterest.
You don't need to practice where to put your hands.
And you definitely don't need to spend the drive to your session warning your children that they “BETTER SMILE.” 😂
I'll guide you.
I'll tell you where to stand, where to look, what to do with your hands and when it's time to stop looking at me altogether.
My goal is to give you enough direction that you feel comfortable without making your photographs feel overly staged.
Because Connection Will Always Matter More Than Perfect Posing
Twenty years from now, you're probably not going to look at your family photograph and wonder whether everyone's hands were positioned perfectly.
You're going to notice how little your kids were.
How young your parents looked.
The missing teeth.
The curls.
The way your child fit perfectly in your arms.
The people who were all together in one place at one moment in your family's story.
That's what we're photographing.
The posing simply helps me put everyone in the right place so I can capture it.
Curly Girl Photography, Family, Couple & Portrait Photography in Palm Beach County, Florida
Ready to get everyone together? Whether it's your immediate family or the entire crew, let's create the posed portraits Mom wants and the real moments you'll want to remember.
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