Today I’d like to share with you some family photo tips for photographers that I think can be so very important.

We all know. Being a mom is hard work and often under appreciated or overlooked. When someone books a session with me, 99.9% of the time it’s by the mom. Moms are usually the ones who does most of the arranging for the family. 

So when she gets in front of my camera I want her to feel appreciated, loved and like a queen! I try to make a huge effort to reaffirm the momma that she looks amazing! I also spend just as much effort making sure the actually looks amazing from behind the lens.

Let me share five photo tips that will leave your mothers looking and feeling amazing!

Photograph the Mother From Above

First I will arrange the family in a pose, then guide them to lean close to each other. Then, if I can I will either stand on something (I usually carry a stool with me) or I hold the camera slightly high and shoot from a more elevated angle. If I have momma sitting on the ground, I stand up and shoot from above. This angle flatters mother’s (or anyone’s) features the most!

Redirect Her Eyes

If you’ve done this long enough, you can tell that most people are hardwired to look directly at the camera. A mother is going to look and feel her best when her focus is on her husband and children as opposed to the camera. I will encourage her to cuddle and interact with her children! That way she is pleasantly surprised with the end result of her photos. Instead of posed smiling at the camera, she is looking at and interacting with her loved ones.

Look Down and to the Side

I try to make sure to grab at least one photo of my mother’s alone! If she’s anything like me, she may be the main “photographer” in the family. That means there probably aren’t many photos of her alone. Her children need photos of her. I will ask her to look down and slightly to one side. Once she takes a deep breath out and relaxes and I am able to capture her gorgeous face.

Movement

My family sessions are typically pretty active. I love to ask mom to hold one of her children up and bring them down slowly, giving them kisses or making them laugh. Movement will relax her body and will make her hair move in beautiful ways. Besides, moms usually love seeing themselves in photos playing and moving with their little ones!

No Square Shoulders!

One more photo tip! Keep in mind when you’re photographing the family and mom is in the photo, make sure mom’s shoulders aren’t square to the camera. A slight angle flatters the female frame beautifully.

I hope you found these photo tips for making moms look their best useful! If you’re a fellow photographer and would like some more behind the scenes treats, check out my shop here. If you are in Nashville, TN Pensacola, FL or Greenville, SC and would like to book a session, I would love to have you! Take a look at my packages here or connect with me here. Looking forward to hearing from you!