Create the family portraits of your dreams with these unique and exciting Family photography session Ideas!
Ashley Aria
Photography
Sometimes, when we think of family photos, we think of the stiff-smiling at the camera type of photos and making sure everyone is looking. Nah! Taking family portraits can be an exciting experience for your whole family! I’m here to help you to brainstorm with some creative ideas that will make your photography experience something special and different from the last session! No more stiffness and looking uncomfortable! So, stick around for all the ideas for a super fun and memorable family photography session!
Coordinate outfits with colors and styles that mean something to you!
Coming up for outfits for family photos can be a challenge for many families! Maybe you have multiple children or are just not sure what each of you should wear! Harmony in your styling is an important factor of creating beautiful family portraits that you will cherish forever! As an Atlanta family photographer, I am here to help you with all the styling! But here is a great tip you can use! Incorporate warm colors! Those warm tones are the perfect vibe for highlighting connections within your family. However, you can also use cool colors or a mixture of both! But whatever the colors are, you want them to not only resonate with your ideal vibe but compliment the walls of your home when printed on beautiful artwork!
Make sure the kids also love what they are wearing! When they are happy and comfortable, the photos turn out amazing! Kids want to feel amazing too! Self-esteem is an important part of take photos. Sometimes, the outfits can make us feel on top of the world! Confidence and comfortability are key to creating photos that make personalities shine! When it comes to your styling, we can work together to create the look that tells your story perfectly!
Highlight some of your favorite things to do as a family
Consider some of the fun things you like to do as a family! When it comes to creating photos that you will remember forever, it is important to include the things that make your family unique! It’s your Story! So, here are some examples!
If your family likes hiking, how about doing a family photo session in the mountains or adventuring through one of your favorite hiking trails and capturing portraits a long the way! Or, maybe you love hiking to waterfalls! Take family photos in your favorite places and you will not only remember the moment, but you’ll remember the things that are an important piece of your story during that season of your lives!
What Unique things resonate with your whole family?
If your family enjoys playing board games or card games together, I highly recommend incorporating some of that in the photos! It can be so much fun! As an Atlanta family portrait photographer, I have done several sessions where everyone is having a blast while enjoying a picnic and playing some card games! It brings out all the laughter and silliness that you want to remember! Make the moments candid! While there will be some powerful, posed shots too, there’s always room for having fun! So, bring out the snacks and have a picnic!
Does your family own a farm or enjoy spending time with the horses and goats? Create those incredible family photos on a farm! Or if it’s the beach, get messy in the sand and have a good time at the beach as you normally would! Bring extra outfits that you can get messy in! Build those sandcastles with your kids, chase them around or get in the ocean with them toward the end of the session! You will not regret these memories being captured on camera!
Let the kids bring some of their favorite things!
Your babies are only little babies for a moment! You know those toys that mean the most to your child or the teddy bear that they always sleep with at night? Those are the items that will bring to your remembrance, the story of their childhood! Let them bring it! Make it fun for them! Not only will they give the camera all those silly and happy faces, but you too will just cherish the memory of their childhood days!
So, is it your sons favorite toy car or your daughters favorite baby doll? Is it your baby’s teddy bear that they sleep with? Furthermore, maybe you child is obsessed with strawberries! Bring some strawberries! It might sound silly, but it is a significant part of your child’s everyday life, it’s worth capturing! If you opt for a picnic as part of your family session, you will remember those tiny little hands reaching for their favorite foods and it’ll be the sweetest thing!
When you see those photos of your child cuddling their favorite stuffed animal, it will only make your heart melt even more!
Don't forget those pets!
If you have pets and want to include them in your family photos, this is your sign to go for it! Whether you want to do an in-home family photoshoot or an on location one, including your pets is a beautiful way to remember your family’s story! Even if you have a little bird! They can be a part of the session too! Now, I am not sure about including bird outdoors! lol! But indoor sessions are just as amazing!
opt for Family photos to be taken in the comfort of your own home!
Speaking of home! Your home tells your story like no other place can! Your kitchen is where you make some of your favorite family meals! So, have a session with your family that captures everyone cooking together or baking a cake! Get messy, throw on the aprons, let those kiddos be little chefs, and highlight the things that make your house a home!
Home is where you sit on the couch and cuddle those babies! So, pile on the sofa and enjoy those tender moments! Read a book to your kids, play with Legos on the floor, build blocks with those babies or put together a puzzle!
Maybe your new baby just entered your family and their nursery is all set up! Capture some of those first moments of your baby’s life, in their little nursery! Remember all that hard work you put into designing the nursery with all your favorite things? Including the colors and the style that you used? Well, you might love to remember that with portraits! Your newborn will soon be a toddler and their room will need some updating! So, make it a memory you can’t possibly forget!
Whatever it may be that makes your family special, in-home photoshoots will always be such a wonderful way to tell your story!
Book a photographer and take a family trip!
You might think this sounds a little extreme, but… Nah! It’s definitely not extreme at all! Though I am a portrait photographer in Atlanta, Ga, I happily travel with many families each year to capture their moments while on vacation! Whether you are going to Disney world, the beach, a cabin in the mountains, a waterpark, another country, an adventure in a local city for the day… if it makes a beautiful memory that you want to remember, it’s worth capturing! So, don’t think it’s too much of a hassle trying to book a photographer for your trip! It’s so much fun to document those moments with professional photos!
Ever wanted to feel like your family trip was a Disney commercial – capturing the trip to the ice cream shop or meeting Disney characters? What about the waterpark adventures while making a splash! Speak of waterpark… here is an incredible waterpark one for you to consider for your next family vacation! It will not disappoint! By traveling with a photographer, you can have your very own family-vacation commercial! Think you’ll get tired of having a camera in your face at some point? Well, that’s easy:) You and your photographer can work out a schedule where you will take portraits during certain moments of each day! And then, the professional photographer can go and adventure around until it’s time to meet back up with you for more photos! There are so many different ways to make it a comfortable experience for everyone! So far, these ideas for a fun and memorable family photography session are sure to create the portraits of your dreams! But that’s not all!
Make a mess
Yep, I said it! While you can book a professional family photography session in those super nice outfits and brand-new hair dos, you can also book a photography session specifically for making a big mess! Afterall… that’s what kids like to do! And… you’ll make a memory that you’ll never forget. A Core Memory – if you will! No doubt about it! If your family likes art or painting, it’s a perfect opportunity to get messy with the paint! Whether indoor or outdoor, have a whole painting and craft session and it will surely be a big mess! But a super fun mess! Build that gingerbread house at home! make a mess while baking and capture the flour all over the kitchen! How ever you envision messy, just do it! Allow the mess for just a little while! It’s fun and both you and your kid’s will absolutely cherish that memory forever.
Make "bad weather" a good time!
Play in the snow, play in the rain, and don’t let the opportunity go down the drain! Yes, I totally just made that up. But in all seriousness, that nasty weather can actually be put to good use! Grab those raincoats and rain boots! Bundle up for the snow and make a snowman as a family! And of course, have snow-ball fights! If it’s a windy day, we can use the weather to our advantage and fly kites or create those super dramatic photos that you see in magazines! The weather doesn’t have to stop all the fun! One thing I tell my clients – if you’re up for it, then so am I!
Dont just take regular family photos! - Make it a theme!
If you love all the holidays or different seasons of life, capture it! Make your photos truly unique and special to you, by celebrating the things that make your family happy! While Holiday photos are so much fun and a beautiful part of your annual storytelling, there are so many other themes that can make your family portrait session unforgettable! Here’s something you may not have thought about!
Back to school! Every time your children go back to school, is bittersweet! It means they are one year older and one year closer to graduating high school! So, make it a tradition! do a fun family session in front of a school bus or with a “back-to-school” set up! It’s also a great way to get kid’s exciting to go back to school! Grab all the school supplies and use them in the photos to make the session creative and exciting!
There is always something to celebrate! Celebrate the birthdays, the kindergarten graduation, the sports your children love, and the new addition to the family! Whether your child is a dancer or a baseball player, take family photos with your kids in their sports outfits! It can be your daughter’s beautiful, sparkly leotard and everyone gathered around her for family photos, as she is celebrated for doing so well at her recital! It could be your son’s baseball uniform with the helmet, glove, and baseball bat, as everyone has a fun time playing and celebrating his win!
Whatever it is that your family has going on a regular basis, it can be used to create beautiful family photos that you will cherish forever!
Above all else.... Relax & Have fun. -No matter what kind of photos you're taking!
A fun and memorable family photography session all boils down to how much fun you are having with your family! As a family portrait photographer, I capture the unrehearsed and unposed moments between you and your family! So, let your guard down and have fun with your little babies! Whether your kids are little or whether they are teenagers, there are so many things you can do to have fun with them! Make the photos candid in nature and capture your genuine personalities! There are 5 C’s aka.. keys, to creating the family portraits of your dreams, are…
- Confidence – Everyone feeling confident in their outfits – styling and colors resonate with who you are!
- Comfort – Everyone is comfortable with the environment in which the portraits are being taken
- Creativity – Incorporating things that make your family unique! (Props, favorite toys, creative in-home sessions, etc.)
- Core memories & Connectivity – Feeling connected to every part of the photos and creating core memories by doing something different!
- Candid – Having fun with your kids and being silly with them as you would at home! Avoiding the forced smiles and just being relaxed while you have a great time!
Family photos don't have to be boring!
Often times, we think that family portrait days are a stressful when it comes to coordinating outfits and getting everyone to cooperate! However, take family photos is supposed to be an incredible time! Maybe these ideas are things you have never thought about or thought they wouldn’t be the norm! Well, I am here to tell you that normal is indeed… boring! If you have had trouble thinking of ways to make your family photos unique and creative, I hope that with these ideas for a fun and memorable family photography session, are not only eye opening for you, but exciting! You can look forward to having your portraits done! The photos of your dreams can be created! It doesn’t have to be hard! You can use the things you already do on regular basis or the things you already have access to, to make the session fun for the whole family!
As long as your family is having fun and the aspects of the session resonate with your unique story, then, a core memory is surely being captured!
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If you’re looking for a photographer who captures the candid moments and makes sure that everyone is having a fun time, I’d love to be in your corner! Whether you want me to travel with you on your next vacation, frolic around town with you for your family’s next adventure or capture the story of what makes your house a home, I am thrilled to offer heirlooms for your family to cherish forever! If you’re ready to create the portraits of your dreams, reach out to me! I am only a call, text, or email away!
Get to know me
Hey! My name is Ashley! I am a portrait photographer in Atlanta, Ga! Since 2020, I have I specialized in family, children, baby, and maternity portraits! I have a small studio for babies and children where I am to capture their wonderful personalities! Furthermore, I love to photograph beautiful families in many incredible locations in Atlanta, Ga and beyond! Also! I enjoy traveling to different locations around the world and capturing families in whatever season of life they are in! So, let’s have some fun and make memories that are unforgettable 🙂