MINI FAMILY POSING GUIDE
I wanted to share a few tips for family sessions of things I’ve learned this past year! I rarely ever do family sessions, but when I do I actually use the same concept for when I do couples sessions, which is MOVEMENT! I even try to use some of the same prompts and some turn out super fun! When doing a family session, or any session for that matter, it’s all about communication! I’ve learned that parents have a HUGE role in participating in their family session! So if I can get the parents to engage with their kids as much as possibly and to be really enthusiastic then there will be laughter all around!
Prompts for the Parents:
- Parents lay in grass and kids climb over them
- Dad on all fours and kids climb on dad like a jungle gym
- Play tag
- Say your kids favorite word to make them laugh
- Have a dance party with your kids
- Put a kid in between parents and LIFT OFF
- Everyone hold hands and run towards me
- Let your kids run away and then run after them and scoop them up
- Blow raspberries on tummies
- Pick kids up and spin around
- Put kids on dad’s shoulders and mom tickles kid
Prompts for Kids
- Kids tackle parents to the ground
- Kids yell *insert favorite funny word here* as loud as you can!
- Kids play ring around the rosy with parents in the middle
- Play duck duck goose
- Kids hug parents as tight as you can
- Kids give big kiss on mom cheek
- Kids give everyone high fives
- Kids roll down the hill
- Kids run at me as fast as you can
The idea behind all of these prompts is to keep the kids moving and engaged! Playing games and giving them things to do will keep the fun going! However, I’ve learned that kids run out of steam quickly so you have to make it interesting! The more the parents can be 100% willing to be goofy and crazy for the kids will make it so much easier for you! So explain that to the parents ahead of time! Tell them what they should expect out of the session and exactly what you need from them during the session! You can even give the parents prompts that they can explain to their kids!
For example, I could tell mom, “Make Ben run right at you so you can pick him up and spin him around! Maybe add a raspberry on his belly!” That way she can encourage Ben to run towards her! He’s way more likely to listen to his mom vs me! This also could depend on the age of the kids too!
I typically don’t like to do a family session for longer than 45 minutes, maybe an hour! You’ll most likely get the best shots at the beginning while everyone is still happy and fresh!
