Tips for Taking Family Portraits Outdoors

Why should you take family portraits outdoors? Besides the potential for beautiful or fun backgrounds, photographing outside provides the opportunity to use natural lighting. If you are a professional photographer or serious enthusiast then you know that the external flash, studio lights and reflectors work to mimic the beauty of natural light.

If you are a beginner or the designated family photographer with a digital compact and built in flash, then taking your family portraits outdoors is the easiest way to get professional quality portraits, the type you’ll want to display in picture frames.

The Best Natural Lighting for Outdoor Family Portraits

Not all outdoors lighting is ideal. The worst time of day to take outdoor family portraits is mid day. The best times of day to take outdoor photographs is the hour before sunset and after dawn when the shadows are least harsh and the light is the softest. The closer to these times you can gather the family for their portrait, the better.

Another good option is to wait for a cloudy day when there is bright overcast light. This provides enough brightness but with the kind of softness the pros spend money on soft boxes to get. If the timing doesn’t work for any of these time frames, find shade that isn’t too dark.

Outdoor Portrait Settings

The obvious choice and perhaps the perfect choice is the family’s backyard. Or you could take a cue from high school senior photography and take your outdoors family portrait at a place the family enjoys such as a park. If you go away from home, look for locations and times of the day when the area is the least crowded.

You should also consider using a family hobby as a potential setting. If the entire family is into horses, a pretty pasture with horses nibbling on the grass with the family posed on and in front of a nice white fence could work quite well. If the family sails, consider the boat’s deck.

Speaking of boats, a word of caution: if you decide to take any family portraits outdoors at places such as the sea, beach or snow, here are some things that can help: Select the beach mode on a digital compact, or if you use a DSLR or SLR, use a polarizing filter. This will help with the glare. Set the flash to “On” instead of “Automatic” to help reduce shadows on the family. Don’t position the family where they will be facing the sun otherwise they’ll be squinting.

As with any picture, be sure to hide or remove clutter in the background. Do you want to use the natural lighting of outdoors but want a plain background? Tack a piece of fabric to a fence. Check the lawn for sprinklers and behind the family for things that might be distracting, like a lamp post.

If you want to minimize the overall background, use the Portrait mode or set your Aperture Priority for a smaller depth of field.

On the other hand, you may want to pose the family so that yard features such as a beautiful tree or garden cottage are part of the picture. Just be sure to take the picture with the focus on the family. And, whatever background you choose, select a picture frame that complements your portrait. For example, if you setting is at the Museum of Modern Art, you probably want to go with a more modern metal picture frame than an old fashioned antique looking frame.

Whether you are taking family portraits outdoors for others or your own family, use these portrait tips and you’ll be sure to take a portrait that will be proudly displayed in a wood picture frame on the family wall.