There are so many ways to photograph families these days, that I don't feel qualified to tell you how to do it. So many photographers have their own styles and when it comes to style there is no right or wrong way. However I have picked up a few ground rules that you may find helpful.
A family photograph used to be a still picture of everyone neatly sitting down dressed in their best outfit. Today a family picture is all about catching a beautiful moment. The photograph has to have a certain sense of dynamics and flow. You still have to make sure the group works well compositionally.
If you are working outside or in a studio and the family is to be positioned in a certain spot, it is really important that you spend quite a long time just making sure that the group looks good as a unit. Many people get nervous of letting people wait to have their picture taken and start taking them before a good group has been composed. This is where you as a photographer should not feel rushed , but explain that you will spend some time arranging and rearranging everyone until the group looks pleasing to the eye. With young children there is often no time to arrange anything, one just has to grab the moment, so this rule does not always work out. Still - to think in terms of the composition first , followed by expression- unless you see in front of you the ideal shot where no rules apply.
Here are a few do's and dont's. Don't let the children look bigger than their parents. If Mum is bigger than Dad, hide the Mum slightly to let the Dad look like his own man, not dwarfed by the wife. Look at your group and decide how you can best flatter them. Absolutely make sure that the mum has her prettiest side to the camera, she is usually the fussiest one!
Although the family is a about flow and the moment, everybody will be looking exclusively at themselves. For this reason I will advice that you take several shots of the same composition before moving on to another grouping. If you are professional you will know that people have very high expectations and in this digital age there is no excuse not to perform a little headswop in photoshop.
How do you get that casual flowing feel in a group that has been composed ?
This is my technique that I use in my small studio : Lets say I have a young family with two young children of 3 and 6 years old. Because they look like a relaxed and at ease family, we decide together that they are comfortable sitting on the floor. All people are completely different in terms of size and shape, so that every session I do is looked at with a fresh eye. I will spend some time arranging the parents making sure they both look good and equally important. The children may run around whilst this is happening. When they are in a good position, I quickly arrange the children who have not been bored by the "arranging". Having created a nice casual group , I fire off quite a few pictures. I then play a small game where I make them to move apart slightly, just swaying away and then back together. This creates amusement, action and spontaneous expression. I show them with my hands, shouting out "apart" and then "together". You have to be very careful not to let them move apart too much as it will ruin the shot and people may clash together too fiercely. Just make them move apart and together in small delicate movement . My families are usually amused by this and it breaks the ice where people have been a bit self conscious. Great care must be taken not to ruin the shape or that faces get hidden, in other words- be really attentive playing this game.
Then….. I let the fun begin and ask the family group to create another group shape. if they like this and get into it, you will find that they compose themselves in to groups on the floor which identifies with their personalities. It becomes "their" way rather than "your" way. You still have to keep an eagle eye and ask yourself, is this a good composition? If it is not, you just take a couple and then shout out : and "change again". Keep doing it , mixed in with "apart -and together".
During a shoot, I find myself talking the whole time. I talk about nothing really, just conveying enthusiasm which really flows in to the people I photograph and it relaxes people. It 's ususally about the shoot, how about this, no not like that- lets try this- fantastic etc…... People loose their fear in this way and start opening up, being themselves.
The session will come to a natural end , you will feel when everyone has had enough. You will have a variety of images to choose from.The beauty of starting with the arranged group at the beginning, is that you can be sure of a good shot- if the casual one don't quite work out.
Have fun