first, find a good spot. this room was pretty darn clean and the light was good. i set up the tripod and a diffused flash before i gathered anyone.

once it it’s all set up, begin to gather family together for the photo. this is a good time to consider bribing kids. remember to keep the photo session as short as possible. try your best to keep from getting stressed.

be open to a little silliness–it can make for a better pic.

ok, forget what i said about silliness–sometimes it makes for a worse pic. once everyone is gathered, be prepared to take at least 10-15 of the same shot. with our family it’s probably more like 25-50. ha!
david doesn’t want to sit still and could care less about looking at the camera. matthias wants to be silly and makes cheesy smiles. getting a natural family photo is pretty tricky.let it be imperfect. this one is the best of the bunch!

how often do you take family pics?