Family photo ideas: top 5 props for family photoshoots

When it comes to taking family pictures, the only things you essentially need is a happy smiling family willing to cooperate throughout the photo shoot, nice location, friendly weather, a camera and a tripod.

Those are real family photography must-haves everyone needs to take awesome family portraits. If you have those, you will certainly be able to carry out a successful family photo session and fully enjoy this experience.

Capturing the interaction between members of a family, catching their true emotions, the affection in husband’s and wife’s eyes, the unconditional love between parents and kids, the fun they have while spending time together and the bond they’ve developed throughout the years of their family life is the most important, yet the most difficult task of a family photographer.

The job gets even more complicated if you’re trying to take pictures of your own family. Apart from gathering your kids and trying to calm everyone down for every single take, you need to set the camera, timer and manage to pop into the shot to be present on your family portrait.

Arranging everyone to create an interesting, yet quite natural and relaxed pose is a whole other struggle. While there’re numerous family portrait ideas you may attempt to recreate at your family’s photo shoot, they often require different props that may be quite expensive and completely useless after the photo shoot.

However, these are the top 5 inexpensive family photography props you’ll be able to use multiple times during the photo sessions to get completely different shots. And, if you’re a professional family photographer or a creative parent who’s always taking his/her own family portraits, you’ll definitely need to get them for your studio.

#1 Big artistic picture frame

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Parents may hold it to ‘frame’ their kids’ funny faces or vice versa. The whole family may get into the frame to capture their faces on a picturesque background of their own house. A little kid might go through the frame for an adorable shot. The kids might hold it to frame their parents while they’re kissing. The options are endless. And you only need that single prop for them.

#2 Wooden letters spelling ‘family’

Picture source: pintrest

These letters will definitely be your must-haves. However, if you’re a professional photographer, it’s great to have the entire alphabet to have options of families spelling their family name while holding individual letters, or spelling the words ‘happiness’, ‘joy’, ‘love’, etc. The shots where each family member holds the first letter of his/her name might look great as well, especially if those letters spell a funny word (like Britney, Ean, Alice, Nolan = BEAN)

#3 Medium chalk board

Picture source: clickinmoms.com

You may take pictures of kids drawing something on it, a family portrait where the parents hold the chalk board with their favorite family-related saying or with the name of their future child. If it’s a Christmas family portrait, they may totally draw a Christmas card or write the ‘Merry Christmas’ on it. This board is literally universal.

#4 Wicker basket or a wooden box

Picture source: cdn3.craftsy.com

It will be great for newborn and baby photography, as well as for creating seasonal decorations for family portrait backgrounds.

#5 A backdrop sheet for indoor pictures

Picture source: Etsy

When the weather is not cooperating, it’s good to have different background sheets) in addition to plain white one) to diversify family portraits.

Do you need to get your family portraits taken? Don’t postpone your photo shoot for too long and make sure to post a family photography request on HireRush.com to get your portraits taken before the holiday season.