The group portrait of all your children… it always sounds like a nice idea. How often have you thought ‘I’ll bet Grandma would love a photo of all the kids together – I’ll see if I can make that happen!’ and then your sweet idea turned into a nightmare as you attempt to corral the crew?
Photographing your own children can certainly be a challenge, especially when you have a particular image in your mind that you’re trying to achieve. Don’t just ask them to SAY CHEESE – give them a fun, short activity.
Squishing into one chair: If you have a large, comfy chair at home, see if you can get all the kids to pile on to the chair at once. The more kids, the more hilarious the results. Bet them that they’re way too big to all sit there at once, and hopefully they’ll take you up on this challenge. Sit a little bit away and keep shooting – there could be some great moments as they try to fit everyone in.
Staring contest: For photographing two kids at once, ask them to see who can stare the longest at the other without smiling (or without blinking if that works better for them). If you have a pet, challenge them to a starting contest with the animal. They may soon see the ridiculousness to the activity, but that’s part of the fun.
Play telephone: If you have a large group of kids you’re trying to capture at once, ask them to sit in a line and start a game of telephone. For those who never played it as kids: the first person decides on a sentence, whispers it to the next, and the message is passed down the line through the end until the final player announces the message to the group and you see how wildly different the final message is from the first. Start it off with a ridiculous message to invoke laughter, and photograph the whole game.
Fit into Dad’s shirt: Kids often enjoy playing dress-up, so take this activity one step further and challenge them to all squeeze into one shirt or pair of pants together.
Play Pretend: If you’re taking the kids out for an adventure, find a statue and ask them to all stand just like it and pretend they’re statues. If you can find a statue that has multiple characters, that’s even better. A demonstration from you first is often good to get things going. If you’re at a zoo, ask them how the giraffes stand or how the penguins walk around. Animal noises (both from you and the kids) are a natural addition.
The most important thing when photographing all the kids together is to throw out any expectations of your perfect image. There are thousands of photos online of the perfectly-posed siblings (Pinterest, anyone?). Don’t get caught up in the apparent perfection. Your activity-based photoshoot will result in creative images that serve as a reminder of the fun your group has together. Also, while the activity itself can certainly be amusing to photograph, make sure to continue shooting through the event to get the reactions, as those are often much better images.
Emily DeWan is a documentary family photographer in Astoria, who loves barking like a seal with children. She can be found at www.emilydewan.com
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The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog contributor’s. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Writers may have conflicts of interest, and their opinions are their own.