Standing poses for families are wonderful ways to not only show off the family, but also the area surrounding them. Bring on those golden hour sessions and let’s get inspired!

It doesn’t get more classic than this! A simple standing pose where everyone is looking at the camera. Taller kids standing beside a parent, shorter kids in front of a parent, and babies/toddler on a parent’s hip. Grandma will be thrilled to put this on her fridge!

After a more traditional standing pose, get everyone to squish in a little bit. Asking your families to squeeze each other gets them all physically connected – you can’t squeeze from a distance! – and also gets everyone smiling and giggling.

Having a little one pose in the arms of a parent makes for a beautiful, intimate portrait already. Once you get that shot, bring the other parent into the frame and let them just hug the other parent – either from behind or with the child squished between them. Cue feelings of tenderness, protectiveness, and quiet family togetherness.

Got a family with kids that need to be on the move? Then this is the standing pose for you! Get everyone to hold hands and spread out a bit. You can get nice candid photos as they are walking towards you, and then take the money shot when you yell “FREEZE!”.

A great variation of this pose is the famous “Sound of Music” pose with the whole family walking one behind the other while still holding hands. You can shoot this from various angles for variation.

When you have 2 babies or toddlers, put them both in parent’s arms, and have parents pose shoulder to shoulder. Not only does it create a fun, informal standing pose, you have the advantage of both kids being contained!

Look around for naturally occurring props in your surroundings – a rock, a fence, a tree stump – and use them! Posing your family on and around these elements provide interest in your images. In addition, you get a little help in propping up your smaller clients!

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