Family Photo Posing ideas

• Family photo posing ideas

Think about how your arrangement of people in a group family portrait can tell a story about the relationship between the different members.

A simple idea is to place the emphasis on the patriarch or matriarch of the family, or the newest arrival. By grouping the rest of the family around them, you'll be able to create a clear focal point.

For larger family group photos, use furniture - whether that's a sofa for indoor shots or a gate for outdoor portraits - to break the group up. Sit the children in front of it and have the adults standing behind it.

• Candlelight portraits

When you're taking photos by candlelight, you'll need to push the ISO to 1600 and beyond and work with large apertures if you're to get a fast enough shutter speed to freeze any motion in your model, the camera or the candle flames.

Turn your camera's flash off and use Manual exposure mode. Switch off any lights, take a meter reading from your portrait-sitter's face and let the rest of the room slip into darkness.

If you're planning a candlelit portrait shoot, use more than one candle. Not only will it increase the amount of light available to make the exposure, but it will allow you to spread the illumination for softer shadows.