Getting the Most Variety in Your Session

Have you ever wondered how some photographers get so much variety in their posing? We think it is very important to show different poses and a lot of variety so you can receive the best photos from your session. If they all look similar, how does that benefit you?

There are many rules of composition and posing in photography, so knowing those first is a great place to start. Once a photographer knows those, it is a lot easier to find a way to vary poses so families can have the best photos from their session.

So, how do we do it?

We start with the basics. Family first. We gather all the family members together in one pose, then change it up for another. We move from one location to another, add a chair, have some stand or sit, or place children on mom or dad's shoulders! Hugging is always important as is kissing and running! And, do not forget to have mom and dad swing their children!

Read on to see how we did this one of our favorite families to give them the best photos from their session!

Hold Hands and Make a Train

We love to see connection in all our photos, so we usually have families hugging, touching, or holding hands in some way. One of the best ways to do that is to have families hold hands and make a train! You can see they are all connected in one way or another and the photo just draws you into their connection!

Sneak up on Mom and Dad

This is one of my favorite poses to implement. Starting with telling the children that the whole thing is a secret sets the stage for the excitement. Telling them that they need to run as fast as they can and give their mom or dad a hug (be sure to tell each child who to go to, or one parent might end up with all children in their lap!) puts a huge smile on their face and the joy that follows is simply amazing.

Being sure mom and dad know what is about to happen is especially important as we want to be safety conscious and be sure no one is injured in the fun!

The end result is usually different every time due to each child's unique personalities, how they hug, and how they all end up at the end! One thing is certain, they all have fun and the images captured make for great memories!

Some Stand, Some Sit

There are many ways to incorporate this pose into your session. We find a log, a rock or some other way to raise family members up to a different level. Not only does it make for a more pleasing composition, but it gives you the variety you need.

For this family, all we had to do was have one child stand behind, and the youngest sit in moms lap and put everyone on a hill. Plus, we asked the kids to laugh and look at each other and this was the result!

Standing and Being Held

It is easy to have everyone stand, but it is important to be sure they are not all in a straight line looking like they are soldiers. (unless of course, you are going for that look)

Having the older children up front with mom and dad behind, while holding one or two of the youngest ones, makes for a great variety in height, plus adds a connection that brings the unity in the forefront.

Give the Kids Something to Do.

We always photograph the children alone, together and with mom and dad individually. (and that will be another blog post for another day!). But, giving the kids something to do (especially with their hands) is important so they can keep their focus, and have a little fun in the process.

Not only will you get great variety, but every photograph will be different than every other family because you never know how children will react! These boys were given the task to gather leaves, throw them in the air and just have fun! We think they accomplished that pretty well.

There are many other examples we would love to show you, so check back later for more blog posts on how we get the variety in your session!

Questions? We would love to hear from you!

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