3 Family Photo Tips from a Greenville Portrait Photographer

Take the Family Picture: 3 Things That Matter Most in Family Portraits

By Becka Rodgers | Handful & Hustle Photography

Getting everyone together for a family portrait can feel like a whole production. The schedules. The coordinating outfits. The child who suddenly hates the shirt they liked yesterday. The pressure to make it all worth it.

I get it. I’m a mom, too—and yes, I still take my own family portraits. I’m an artist with a vision, and sometimes it’s hard to let go of that vision long enough to enjoy what’s happening right in front of me.

After photographing hundreds of people, here are the three things I want you to know about your family pictures. Whether you hire a photographer or prop up your phone, these are worth keeping in mind.

1. Find beautiful light and keep the background simple

Here in Upstate South Carolina, fall can give us the most beautiful backdrops. A tree full of color can be all you need. You don’t have to find an elaborate location to make a meaningful portrait.

But pay attention to the light, too.

That soft light near sunset can be gorgeous, and it also disappears quickly. Get everyone dressed and in place before the light looks its dreamiest. You don’t want to spend the prettiest part of the evening looking for somebody’s shoes.

If you’re taking your own pictures, keep it simple:

• Choose a background without cars, trash cans, or other distractions.

• Look for soft, even light on everyone’s faces. If people are squinting or have harsh shadows across their eyes, try another spot.

• Take your family portraits while there’s still enough light to see everyone clearly. Save experimenting with the sunset for afterward.

The point of your family portrait is your family. A beautiful sky is a bonus.

And if you miss the fall leaves? You haven’t missed your chance. A front porch, a favorite room, or a spot outside with good light can hold a beautiful family memory, too.

2. Make room for the love—and a little silliness

Family portraits are about the relationships between you. But when you’ve put so much work into making them happen, it’s easy for the whole thing to start feeling very high stakes.

Suddenly, you’re telling everybody to smile through gritted teeth. Ask me how I know.

Try to leave room for this to be something you enjoy together. Give clear, small requests. Offer something fun to look forward to. Get a picture with everyone looking at the camera, then let them make the silly faces.

I often use that rhythm with my clients: let’s get this one, and then we can play.

Some of my favorite pictures of my boys are the ones where we’re interacting—running around, wrestling, or laughing together. There’s one from when they were little where one of my boys has his hand curled into a fist because he’s telling a knock-knock joke.

That little gesture takes me right back to who they were at those ages.

So yes, get the smiling-at-the-camera picture. Grandma will love it. But leave room for the hugs, the jokes, and the way your people actually connect.

Try a few simple prompts:

• Tell each other a knock-knock joke.

• Snuggle in close for a big family hug.

• Hold hands and walk together.

• Take one smiling picture, then one with your best silly faces.

You don’t have to turn your family into different people to make a portrait worth keeping.

3. The most important thing: take the picture

This is the one I care about most.

I talk to people all the time who tell me their last family portrait was seven years ago. Or before their youngest child was born. Or so long ago that they have to stop and think about it.

I would be honored to photograph your family. But even before that, I want to encourage you to get everyone in a picture together.

If Thanksgiving is when your people will be in the same place, take the picture. If everyone is gathered around the Christmas tree, take the picture. Ask a neighbor to help, or set your phone on a timer so you can be in it, too.

Take the everyday pictures of the kids and the holiday table. Then take one with you in it. You belong in your family’s memories.

The outfits don’t have to match. Everyone doesn’t have to be thrilled about it. There is something worth remembering about your family right now.

Then give that picture a place in your home

I love family portraits on the wall because we get to live with them.

On a hard day—when nobody has slept, everyone is frustrated, or your family is walking through a difficult season—that picture can remind you of something easy to lose sight of.

We love each other. We belong to each other. We’re a family.

That moment when you were snuggled together, laughing in beautiful light? That was real, too. It deserves a place in the story you tell yourself about your family.

Print the picture. Put it somewhere you’ll see it while you’re living your everyday life.

Ready to get your family in the picture?

If it’s been a while, let’s make it happen. At Handful & Hustle Photography, I help families in Greenville, Taylors, and the surrounding Upstate plan their portraits, feel comfortable in front of the camera, and create artwork to enjoy at home.

You don’t have to figure out the wardrobe, posing, and finished artwork on your own.

Want to plan a family session? Get in touch through the website and tell me a little about your family. We’ll talk through what you have in mind and available dates.

And whether it’s with me or with your phone this weekend: please take the family picture.