Pro Photo West Fall 2019

3 Tips for Better Family Portraits
By Allison English Watkins, Master Photog., Craftsman, CPP
I believe that displaying family portraits in the home is one of the best tools we have available to combat the
pressure of being a teen these days. Our kids are being raised in a visual world, via online apps like Instagram
and Snap Chat just to name a few, where the insatiable consumption of imagery both feeds the need for
entertainment but starves the soul from true emotional connection. Both kids and adults spend way too much
time scrolling thru images they only see for a moment and then forget. The goal of trying to be seen and
acknowledged in today’s world of fast flying information, that disappears within hours of publication, can make
us feel like we could disappear and be instantly replaced and no one would notice. This is why I feel family
portraits matter now more than ever.
Large printed family portraits in homes are the visual antidote to the never ending scrolling that cause teenage
and adult angst. Because the world is so visual we must fight back with visuals, but permanent visuals that don’t
disappear. A large family portrait displayed in a home stands like a lighthouse reminding all who live inside
that they have a place where they belong and can find safe harbor. A family portrait saturates our visual
subconscious with the message that we have people who love us and want us. The world needs more messages
of love and belonging which is why I truly believe that family portraits change the world. Creating family
portraits is a job I take very serious because I believe I am creating lifelines that tether family members together
and remind them of their connections to each other.
Here are 3 tips I use to create more impactful family portraits.
1. Focus on telling a story with your family portraits. Each family has a unique
style and a connection that they want to turn into a visual story. When a client contracts you to create their
family portrait they are trusting you to make an illustration of their life that tells a good story. Marianne
Williamson says, “People crave comfort, people crave connection and people crave community.” A
fabulous family portrait fulfills all three of the human needs. Are the family portraits you create full of
emotion, connection and comfort? Have you ever even thought about integrating these emotional goals into
your portraits? Adding emotions to a family portrait is like decorating a cupcake, it’s what makes people
want it.
A great way to add emotional impact to your family portraits is by literally working to connect each member
of the family. Work to use the hands to connect from one subject to another. See if you can create a subtle
chain through all the members of a family by each member connecting to another. Don’t let hands hang
down to the sides, dangling arms are a missed opportunity to add emotional impact. Sometimes creating
these connections is easy and obvious with hand holding or hugging and sometimes the connection is more
subtle like and elbow on someone else or a hand on a shoulder. This little effort will add the comfort,
connection and community that will make your clients’ heart sing every time they gaze at their family
portrait.
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Professional Photographers of California