Sometimes you, as a photographer, are lucky, and you hold a family photo session, where all the models have perfect radiant smiles. It won't take you long to take a photo that you can hang on the wall. However, more often than not, family portraits are not so easy.

Perhaps you have come across someone who does not want to be photographed at all, or there are small children involved in the shooting who do not understand what you are trying to get them to do. And if you had the opportunity, you would like to receive photographs that reveal their personality. Everyone is looking at the camera and smiling sweetly - this is a good photo. But we are always more interested in taking photos that can tell a little more about who is who in the family. We've got some tricks to help you get through the stresses of a family photo shoot and enjoy your shots.

1. You are responsible for children

Often during family photo sessions, you will come across parents who will be very concerned about whether or not their children are looking at the camera, and whether there is a smile on the faces of the kids. Parents do not understand that because of their focus on the child, they themselves are not ready for a photo when the baby looks at the camera and smiles.

Remind parents to be ready for a photo at any time. And you, as a photographer, will take responsibility for the smiles of the kids. When a parent asks a toddler to look at you, he may get confused and decide that he should look at mom and dad. Whether or not you want your parents to look at the camera in a particular photo, remind them of their responsibilities and take care of the rest.

2. Let your parents help you sometimes.

At first glance, this may seem to contradict point 1, but there are times when the help of parents is needed to get the smiles of children. If there is an unnatural forced smile on the child’s face, and you want to get real emotions in the photo, ask the parents to make faces or do something funny out of the frame. If you want the baby to look directly at the camera, ask the parent to stand behind you and call the child. Parents often know some stupid word that makes their child laugh. Or the baby just needs to see mom and dad to feel more comfortable.

You can also take photos of parents interacting with children. Often these photos become our favorites. We love capturing the authentic communication and real emotions that parents see every child. Sit parents and children together and ask them to smile. Often in this situation, they become embarrassed and they start laughing, and you get a great shot.

3. Laugh at the fool

One of the most effective ways to get a good shot is to ask everyone in the family to laugh at the fool. Sometimes they immediately all look at the same person together and immediately start laughing. And it happens that there is a second hitch and only after that laughter is heard.

This can lead to unpleasant consequences, so this technique must be used carefully. Some children think that laughing is belittling a fool. And their natural laughter grows into a loud and tortured cackle. Other kids think they should point the finger at whoever is being laughed at and it always looks bad in a photo. In such cases, we ask them to giggle softly and keep their hands down. Usually, this solves the problem. If this does not help, then we simply get distracted by something else and wait for the right moment.

4. Simple hugs

Often at photo shoots, we just seat everyone in the right positions, ask them to smile, and take a great photo. And then we tell them: "Now hug each other." And when we look at the photos one by one later, we are always surprised how much more natural smiles turn out in photos with hugs.

When the photo is too formal, people find it difficult to relax and smiles are forced. When all the participants of the photo shoot are comfortable, their real smiles appear. There is something about hugging those you love that makes you feel safe. Sometimes you need to push them into a hug a little, but make sure they're still looking at you. Sometimes you may come across a person who loves hugs very much. And although such hugs look cute in real life, in the photo it will not turn out very well.

5. Let your personality shine

Sometimes you have an image in your head perfect photo, but in fact you have several small children with bright personalities. You can spend the whole shoot trying to get them to be something they are not. Or you can throw your idea aside and betray the individuality of your characters in all colors.

Let's be honest, sometimes those facial expressions that just scream a person's personality are perfect for a photo. Families will cherish these photos and laugh at them for the rest of their lives. You can try to get the perfect family shot for mom, but don't make everyone suffer by asking them to take unique poses or make faces every time you release the shutter. Sometimes tomfoolery can get out of hand, so it's best to just take a picture and move on.

6. Big companies are fun too.

Photo large groups can sometimes look very boring. When you need to take a photo of a large group of people, your task is to fit everyone in one frame, but the result can be a photo with a bunch of boring faces.

Take a few photos just for the sake of it. Ask the whole group to hug or kiss a neighbor. Give them a choice. Nobody likes to be told they have to kiss the person next to them. If you have a bride and groom, you can capture their kiss and ask everyone around you to react the way they want.

When you have a large group of people with funny and happy faces in your photo, you can't help but look at the photo and smile. Such photos are never perfect, but families love them very much.

7. Take live photos

You don't always need smiles and you don't always need everyone looking into the frame. Film a family doing common cause, and let their facial expressions be natural. These photos will capture the image of the family as it is now. These photos will really bring back memories when the family will look at them after many years. You don't have to come up with something complicated. It can be a family picnic or just a walk in the park. If the family is walking ahead of you, ask them to look at each other so you have their profiles and emotions.

8. Don't be afraid to take lots of shots in a row

When you need to fit a lot of people into one frame, the chance that everyone in the photo will have great facial expressions is negligible. We take many shots in a row in the same position, because this increases the chance that everyone will have their eyes open in the photo and smiles on their faces. If all the shots are unsuccessful, then you have a lot of shots in one position and you can replace eyes, faces, heads in Photoshop, if necessary.

It's very frustrating when you have an almost perfect family photo, but someone blinked at that moment. Trust us, even three photos in a row may not be enough to get the facial expressions you need. We don't often use replacements, but sometimes it's a necessary measure to get the perfect photo.

One of the biggest challenges every photographer faces is getting people to naturally smile in front of the camera. You can just say "cheese". Models will end up with a forced smile that doesn't look natural or attractive. There is a huge difference between a genuine smile and a fake one.

Always keep an eye on your audience, as all people are different and need an individual approach. We have prepared for you 20 tips that you can build on and that can help you overcome the period of forced smiles.

Individual shooting

1. Start with your smile

A smile and a friendly demeanor are contagious. Before you ask someone else to smile, make sure you yourself are smiling and speaking in a friendly tone. You yourself need to set the atmosphere, so you can get a natural smile in return.

2. Compliment

One of the fastest and simple ways making someone smile is a boost in self-confidence. Observe the person and give a compliment based on that observation. It can be a beautiful dress, jewelry or bright socks. Feel free to give compliments, even if they are minor!

3. Smile with your eyes

As Tyra Banks says: "Smize" or "Smile with your eyes." The eyes are like a window to the soul. It is by them that we can easily distinguish a genuine smile from a fake one. A forced smile only activates lower part faces, while natural - all facial expressions.

4. Fake laugh

To evoke a genuine smile, the person on the set needs to feel comfortable and relaxed. The best way melt a frozen smile - make him laugh. “Let's see which of us can laugh the loudest. On the count of three, 1, 2, 3, LAUGHTER! The idea is not in the laughter itself, but in the effect after it. It is important to note that your mood and attitude is what will make the technique work.

5. Happy face. Stupid. Sad.

Most models respond better when you give them specific instructions on what to do. Help them relax. A series of different emotions will make the subject feel less self-conscious. This technique works great for both adults and children.

6. Use non-standard words instead of "cheese"

We used to hear from the photographer standard phrases: “cheese” or “A bird will fly out now.” Surprise them with other phrases. For example, for adults, you can use "money" or "whiskey", and for children, "yummy" or "pikachu". Use your imagination and choose phrases suitable for your customers.

7. No one canceled the jokes

Jokes and funny stories are the most obvious way to bring a smile and lighten the mood. You have to be careful with jokes, they have to be appropriate. It is unlikely that you will tell a joke at a children's photo shoot.

Question: What is the most fast way make money as a photographer?
Answer: "Sell your camera!"

Group photo session

8. Whisper a secret to the person next to you

The idea is for people to start talking to each other. Ask to whisper a secret to a neighbor on the right or left. This technique can cause smiles and chuckles, as people tend to come up with nonsensical phrases.

9. Everyone looks at each other

This is best for groups of three or more. The reason this works is because there is no clear instruction. Nobody knows who to look at. And the result is excellent. Everyone starts smiling and laughing. And this is what we were striving for.

10. Everyone is watching...

It is very important to know the names of each person at the photo shoot so that you can contact them personally. By naming someone in particular in a group, you make them the center of attention. The rest is interesting to observe the reaction of the selected person.

11. Everyone is looking ... at me.

Use this tip immediately after #8 or #9. The group has already started talking to each other, they have relaxed and had a lot of laughs. It's time to turn your attention to the camera. You can also take the next step by saying something playful and funny: “You guys are too sad! Smile! »

12. It's time for fun photos

As a rule, by the end of a serious group photo shoot, everyone will want to make a little face. But the question is how to take a stupid photo together. Invite them to start with popular suggestions, and then give them the freedom to express themselves. Most Popular:

- If there are glasses at the shooting, then invite everyone to raise their glasses together and clink glasses.
- Various hand gestures.
- Ask to change the pose or facial expression on each new frame.

Photo shoot Love Story

13. Learn about how they met

Ask a young couple to talk about their first meeting. Talking about special and happy moments is a great way to make them look at each other and smile.

14. Kiss on the cheek, nose or forehead

Majority happy couples begin to smile in embarrassment when they are asked to show intimacy in front of the camera. Such simple requests for a kiss at a photo shoot can evoke a wide range of emotions.

15. Ask to dance

Ask the couple to dance a little. This will allow the models to look away from the camera and relax a bit. Dancing together will also cheer you up and bring happy smiles. And you will have the opportunity to capture live emotions.

Children's photo session

16. Look with a serious face

The minute you tell kids to be serious and not laugh, there's more chance of having the exact opposite effect. It's simple but very effective method make kids smile.

17. Play a game

During the photo shoot, you can invite the children to play irga, you just need to calculate the time and there must be a suitable place. Ask them to play any age-appropriate games that will keep them entertained.

18. Let's jump together

Jumping always causes delight in children, what is there to hide, and in adults. Ask young models jump as high as they can. Thus arranging little competition jumps.

19. Show your tongue

Tongue sticking out photos are certainly not what you're trying to achieve. But if you start showing your tongue to children, they will respond in kind. Turn it into a competition for the most long tongue. The kids will be hilarious, with ear-to-ear smiles that you will definitely want to capture in photos.

20. Horns

The well-known gesture "Victoria", meaning victory or peace. You may not even have to ask the children to do this, they will do it without you asking. Horns seem to be a universal joke that even adults use, considering it very funny.

In conclusion

Now you have 20 ideas to help people smile in front of the camera. You just have to put them into practice and use them wisely. To do this, do not forget about your clients and the atmosphere on the set. After all, the key to every successful photo shoot is to find a common language with the models!

- a very important holiday in the life of the newlyweds. And the atmosphere of this holiday is simply overflowing with various emotions and experiences that would be worth capturing. The result of reportage shooting, of course, will be "live" photos.

The photographer will try his best to display all the emotions that were experienced at the holiday. You might think that reportage photography is the easiest to take. But this is not so, because often newlyweds and guests cannot relax, knowing that they are being filmed. Therefore, many seemingly sincere moments seem strained. In addition, just reportage shooting is now of little interest to anyone. Newlyweds today also want colorful staged shots.


To achieve natural emotions in wedding photo, you can pre-arrange a photo session with the newlyweds. This type of shooting is called love story. This is an opportunity for the couple to get to know the photographer better, as well as get used to the idea that the lens is watching you at the celebration all the time. In addition, photos from such a walk can be shown at the wedding itself, as part of the program.


Usually this is a love story of lovers, which touches everyone present at the holiday. But this may not be a love story, but just a pre-wedding shoot, that is, a half-hour walk with a photographer, during which you will learn to be natural in front of the camera and not close yourself off from the photographer, which is the most important thing.


If you are not satisfied with the “pre-shooting” option, then on a holiday, namely during a wedding ceremony or entertainment in a restaurant, you should try to forget about everything and just enjoy the fun. Then the photos will be successful. By the way, you will be photographed not only by a professional, but also by many guests who have taken their cameras or camcorders with them to the holiday. So ease, naturalness and sincerity are exactly what is required of you, since you will be the center of attention.

When shooting portraits, as well as group shots, emotions are a key part of the picture. Emotion is a more important tool than light and scenery. Capturing emotion in a photo is not easy.

Photographing in a public place

Being in a public place is the easiest way to catch the emotions of people by photographing them discreetly. This type of shooting requires a telephoto lens. It will allow you to photograph people from afar and be unnoticed. A focal length of 200mm will be sufficient, but more powerful zooms can be used.

Being in the crowd, it will be more convenient to take pictures wide angle lens. It has a large frame coverage angle and more compact dimensions.

Love is the strongest emotion.

All around us, people are constantly showing emotions. To learn how to catch them, you need to take a camera with you for a walk and be constantly ready to take pictures. Just look at the people around you. Emotions are everywhere: a couple in love, a grumpy old man, children in a sandbox, a laughing group of young people. This list can be continued indefinitely.

Staged shooting

When working with a model, you need to explain what kind of emotions it should express. It's not that easy. The key to this approach is communication and tuning the model in the right way. Communicating with a person, you need to find out what exactly gives him joy, and what, on the contrary, upsets him. Many are shy of the camera, so they behave constrainedly. Communication in this case the only way liberate the person.

The right emotion in a picture can be more important than broken lighting or wrong composition.

For professional models and actors constant change emotions are normal, but others may find it difficult to deal with. That is why they need help.

Take a look at these photos that express a wide variety of emotions:

How to capture feelings for centuries? Smile! Your emotions are photographed.

S57: Julia, tell us about your filming process.

Julia Tyukova: The filming process itself is easy and relaxed. I like to shoot live emotions, real feelings. real people. During the shooting, we talk a lot, laugh, enjoy communication. I often show good shots on the camera screen. I really like to watch how people's mood improves when they see themselves in the pictures, how a spark of excitement lights up in their eyes, a desire to shoot further.

S57: You take good portrait shots. Interestingly, do you need to be familiar with a person to make a good portrait?

I try to tell stories with my photographs. First of all, this requires contact with a person or a couple. It is important to make friends with your customers, to understand what is important for them, how they live. I love when I am surrounded by an atmosphere of happiness, so the main direction of my work is wedding photography in Orel. It's nice that we communicate with many couples even after the wedding or the shooting day of the love story. Some of them are going to shoot again - already with children, on family portrait. It's great when people understand the value.

S57: What does a good portrait mean to you?

This is very subjective. In my opinion, a portrait should tell about a specific person, his mood, emotions, experiences “here and now”. An important criterion for successful shooting is the response of the client. It's always nice when people are happy looking at their photos.

S57: What is the difficulty of staged shooting?

To be honest, I can't remember any major issues. I always prepare for shooting in advance, and if there is no force majeure in the spirit of natural disasters, then everything goes well. Difficulties can arise only with people if pre-agreed points are violated. For example, if a person is late for more than an hour. To maintain a positive atmosphere in the filming process, it is very important to work with a proven team: makeup artist, hairdresser, videographer, etc.

S57: If something goes wrong during a photo session, do you continue the shoot improvising or reschedule it for another day?

Of course I continue. I work for people, if they count on me, I can't let anyone down. At weddings, things often don't go according to plan. How can you reschedule your wedding? I position myself as a wedding and portrait photographer in Orel, so improvisation is a very important part of my work.

S57: You are a young photographer, does anyone give you advice?

Yes, sure. I am a very sociable person and I have many good friends among photographers in Orel, and in other cities as well. If possible, I attend master classes of successful colleagues, who always have something to learn. I think that for personal professional growth you have to constantly learn something new.

S57: Most helpful advice that you ever received?

When I first started taking photographs, Vladimir Adadurov said to me in a friendly way: “Don’t take pictures of people, it’s not for you.” After that, I made significant progress in portrait photography. Probably to prove otherwise. I still remember this advice with a smile.

S57: Were there any exciting or dangerous moments during filming?

In general, at weddings I constantly climb somewhere to shoot from a more interesting angle. So far, dangerous moments have not happened to me, but at one of the weddings in Orel, the operator broke his leg right before the ransom, but managed to work all day in this state.

S57: Are you experiencing technical problems at work?

Now I always take 2 cameras with me to shoot. This is in case one fails. I have spare batteries, memory cards. I often work with an assistant who will illuminate with a reflector or flash. With experience comes the ability to prepare for problems in advance.

S57: What photo equipment do you use?

It doesn’t matter what you shoot with, the main thing is that the equipment is comfortable and allows you to realize the idea. I love my full-frame Sony a850 and reportage Sony a77, and I also indulge in fast optics. But I can also shoot my projects or events that are interesting to me on a mobile phone.

S57: If you could time travel, where would you go for a photo shoot?

Forward to the future! At least something is known about the past. And I'm curious about what's next. It would be interesting to capture the atmosphere of the life of our descendants, to look at their way of life, how their customs, habits, and fashion have changed.