One of the questions I get asked most as a family photographer is: How do you pose families with older kids? You may have the littles down, but are you comfortable posing the family that has older teenagers or “adult children”? Today I'm sharing 3 main things to elevate the experience not just for the clients, but for you as the photographer! You'll learn these family photoshoot poses in no time!

If you want extra tips on posing you can get this FREE class called “Keys to Effective Family Posing“! Maybe you're a wedding photographer who has started taking on more families and posing is a bit out of your wheelhouse when it comes to families – this is for you! Regardless of where you're coming from posing can make a session feel smooth and fluid when you know what you're looking for. Hop in this class, learn a few tricks and your next session will be a breeze!

Tip #1 Create Connection Points

It can be easy to pose little ones because you can tell them “have a tickle fight”, “run to mommy and daddy”, “point to the silliest sibling”. But when you have kids that are older the tickle fight becomes awkward! Little ones are often held by their parents or holding hands so they don't run off. Older kids need some instruction, connection points! Lead them through the shoot. “Put your arm around each other, put your hand on so-and-so's shoulder, stand in close to those around you, etc.” Older kids actually have personal space so we need to guide them into the photo creating warmth.

Tip #2 Capture Variety

Older kids allow for more time. They often follow directions well and listen to your posing prompts. This gives you more time to get different groupings because we are wasting time in between hoaxing the kids along. I always get the base shots, but then I'll add different couplings of people together. If a family has 3 kids, each kid will pose separately with each parent, then different groupings with the siblings, etc. These are special because when kids get older either the parents or they themselves will want to post a photo for a birthday or mother's day or father's day. When you capture variety you're giving options for the family!

Tip #3 Build Trust

Adults have learned how to communicate with strangers. But teenagers need to trust you before they open up or become really cordial. I was a youth pastor for 9 years so I know that teenagers will see right through you if you're uncomfortable! I often will ask questions and engage with them to create a space that they've been seen and heard. Find out what their interests are and even if it's foreign to you navigate a way to common ground. The more they feel like you care about them and let them be included the more they will be genuine! Those are the photos you want, honest and memorable. This is done in the in between. As you're walking from one location to the next. As you're posing the parents or the siblings, etc. In a short amount of time you can create a memorable session based off of posing families with older kids!

Don't forget about the free class to help you with get comfortable with family posing. And if you have questions feel free to reach out, I'm always here to help and would love to connect with you!

More Resources

+ Keys to Effective Family Posing Free Class
+ Family Posing Course
+ How to Pose Families | Favorite Posing Prompts