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Family photography is a great way to keep beautiful moments with the people you love.

But the way you poses is one key variable.
To make your family photography work easier, here’s a list of our 9 favorite family portrait poses.

1. Hand in Hand Stroll

This is an excellent family portrait pose to start with. In this pose, the parents are holding onto their child’s hands. And the family just walks naturally.
You can look towards the camera, but you can get really nice candid shots if you just walk Without looking directly at the camera.
You'll actually need to walk, not pose. This will get the parents to focus on their kid instead of the camera. You’ll capture beautiful moments of genuine family love.

2. Follow the Leader

This is another great sequential pose of the ‘Hand in Hand’ initial tip. Let the child walk ahead of one of the parents as if they’re leading them.
This pose is great for toddlers in the first months after they start walking. And parents really like these photos because this period of time passes really fast.
A fun variation is asking the second parent to follow behind the first parent, creating a human chain.
Remember that kids at this age can get tired of walking quickly so be fast with your camera. Also, keep in mind that kids at this stage might decide to run suddenly. Make sure that you are in a safe area.

3. Goof Around

You should encourage the kid to play around with one or both parents for one of the best family photography poses. A fun trick to try with toddlers is to make them pass under the legs of the parents.
You will get the chance to catch some nice smiles and the photos will be lively! This is a great chance to get the little ones, and even the entire family smiling.

4. Lean on a Wall

Leaning on a wall (or trees) is a good option for family photo poses. People usually find leaning back against something more natural than just standing in the middle of the street.
You can also try variations of this pose. Both parents can hold the child up, just one of them can be holding the kid. Or the child can stand up on the wall or tree stump, with the parents supporting them.

5. Sit Down Family Portrait Poses

This is a really nice way to get comfortable with the camera.
Sit closely so you can hold hands or each other’s shoulders. Make sure that you don’t have big gaps between you as this might give a sense of disconnection.
One more important thing is to pick a good place to sit. Pay attention to both safety and cleanliness. This is one of the best tips on family portrait ideas.
No one is going to be comfortable with a smudge on their pants and it will ruin the photo session.

6. Make a Train

This is a fun variation of the sitting pose. In this case, instead of sitting next to each other, you need to sit one behind the other.
Just make sure that no one is blocking anyone else from view. Generally, a shortest to tallest arrangement works best.
This is a great way to create family poses for 5 subjects. With a simple set up, you can capture great photos.

7. Kid’s Eye Level

In this pose, you'll have to kneel or crouch near the child. This is a way to have all the members of the family at a similar height. This brings balance to the composition and gives a feeling of closeness and unity.
One of the greatest family portrait ideas is to keep the group balanced.

8. Kiss the Baby

This photo is a must when it comes to family photo poses with a kid.
You should try to capture those genuine moments but also don’t be shy and repeat the kiss if you missed the moment. We're sure you'll be happy to oblige.

9. Lay Down

For lying down poses I recommend you use a picnic blanket or something similar. If you are at the beach or on wet grass I also recommend you to put a plastic sheet under the blanket.
Family photography poses work best when you laying down.

Conclusion

Be active. Walk around, hug, kiss and play. This will give you plenty of chances to take some beautiful candid photos and capture genuine moments!
When taking a photo with little kids, be patient and don’t push them to do any particular pose if they don’t want to.
Let them do their thing, it might not be the poses you were planning, but if you keep an open mind, you will find photo opportunities anywhere.
Flexibility is crucial in family photography! Make sure you are having a great time together. This is a sure way to have a successful family photo session and get some great pictures!