How to Get the Best Family Pictures

Frustration is the appropriate word to sum up a great deal of how you feel after a bout of getting the family together to take the "perfect" family photo. I've been there. Every Christmas found me as frustrated as the Christmas one year prior, when I could not get even one of my eight kids to cooperate. Here's how to get the best family pictures when you're at your wits end and nothing else seems to work well.

Be Camera Ready

If you have one camera in the house, keep it handy in the room that has the most use with your family. This will provide a quick click response when someone in the family does something cute. I found this very helpful. In fact it was so helpful that I put my 2^nd camera in another high traffic room of our house that provided me some great shots. Jumping on the beds turned out some great photos!

Set Up Your Scene

Try inconspicuously setting up a scene for yourself involving the kids naturally doing their favorite activities, and then be armed and ready with your best camera to snap away when they are barely aware of your presence with a camera. This set up is an effective way to get the most natural shots because you've set the stage ahead of time with their favorite activities, so they're fully engaged and less aware of your whereabouts.

Give it Time

I find in my own photography experience that if I want to really get something good within my family, I have to sort of hunt it down. Once something I think I'm looking for has begun, say the kids are hugging the family pet, or are really being messy with a piece of birthday cake, if my camera is in hand, I'll wait til the moment I'm looking for arrives. Given enough time, what I'm looking for transpires and I get the shot or two that I'm looking for.

More is Better

When you're in need of a certain type of photo and you finally get the circumstances to work for you, don't be short on clicking. Be sure to click away in abundance to get plenty of the type of shots you want. Having a large selection of photos to choose from will make your entire family picture endeavor easier.