Growing up I can remember going over to a friend’s house and seeing family portraits line their family room. Through the years the parents got older and kids got bigger, but the angle of each photograph was exactly the same. I can even remember getting family portraits done as a kid and the photographer would do the same exact thing every time. Line the family up tallest to shortest, or place the parents in the back and have the kids in the front. Well times have changed and photographers have become much more creative just by adding a little more dimension to the shot. For this post I am going to briefly discuss a couple of my favorite, unique angles for family portraits.
If you are working with a fun or outgoing family, a “worms eye view” might be one of the best angles to go with! A worms eye view is a very different but entertaining angle for a family of any size. All you need to do to achieve this angle is simply have your camera positioned below the family, looking directly up at them. To do this you may want to gather the family in a fun sort of huddle, then lie down on the ground in the center of their huddle and begin snapping those pictures! A worms eye view angle that is used on a family makes the family look united and strong, and tightly knit! I highly recommend it! Here is a quick example I pulled from Google Images:
Another angle I find really appealing is a “ground level” angle. This particular angle I personally think looks best with a family that has small children. To create a ground level shot, all you have to do is place the family at ground level, side by side or with the kids on top of the parents, and facing the photographer. Then you (the photographer) will do the same, facing them. You don’t always have to lay on your stomach, you can try to kneel or crouch down as well. I believe a shot like this looks best with small kids in the family, just because the kids are on the same level as their parents but it’s clear to see there is a difference in age and size. In my opinion, when I see a photograph like this I find it very heartwarming because the kids still have that innocence to them, and you can almost feel how much they look up to their parents. Here is another photograph I pulled from Google Images:
The one thing to remember when photographing a family is to have fun and connect with them! If the family is enjoying themselves then you will certainly be able to get some awesome photos using those unique angles!