This has to be my favorite family portrait shoot to date. It also happened to be the largest yet, with 14 (if you count the bulldog). Where do you effectively prop this many people without it looking boring? You have to find the right location which is a good compromise of lighting everyone well, everyone looking naturally posed, and make a fun looking photograph. After all, if we wanted everyone standing uniform, lacking any kind of creativity, they may as well get their portrait at Sears. To ensure I accomplished all of the above, I went scouting the day prior to the shoot, making sure the location would foster the right kind of fun, natural shots I was after for such a large group.

I picked a location in the North end of Tacoma. Within a small area we had lots of options, lots of different props to stand, lean, and sit on. This made my job easier, allowed the family members to situate themselves without much direction from me, and that lead to more natural looking photos. If people sit themselves you get a picture of “them.” It made things move much quicker and we got a lot more photos take. Was the posing “picture perfect?” Absolutely not, and that, in my opinion, is what makes them work that much better. It’s a half posed, half candid style.

We got a lot of photos done in two hours! We ran through a handful of different spots, working in the smaller groups at each spot, and then doing the large group picture at the end. The Calip’s were very easy to work with and made my job pretty darn simple. Luckily the weather pulled through for us and we got a great set of photos!

Too many good photos came out of this session! I’m already looking forward to the next portrait session with the family! Thanks, Calips, you were great to work with.