Let’s face it, most of the time when you look at model family images or posing guides, the families have 1-2 children. It feels very doable and natural to pose two parents with one kid or two parents with two kids. Three kids, however, suddenly feels more difficult! Luckily I am here to help with posing tips for a family of five that you can keep in your back pocket for the next time you have a bigger family in front of your lens!

Let’s jump in!

Posing Tips for a Family of Five or More!

Posing Tip #1: Use Varying Heights)

When you start to pose a family with more than 2 children, standing all together in a clump can look like a too-formal block of people. The best way to visually break up this wall of people is to use varying heights. My favorite way to do this is to have at least one child on a parent’s shoulders, in arms, and one on the ground. The arrangement of who is standing, being held, or on shoulders will vary according to the ages of the kids in the family. Having these different heights disperses the visual weight of the family and results in a much more pleasing image!

Posing Tip #2: Monkeys In the Middle

When you have three little kids who don’t stand tall enough for their faces to be near parents, a great way to “hold” them all at the same time is for parents to crouch on the outside and smoosh all those kids together in the middle. Babies can be propped on a knee like in the left image below and toddlers can be corralled between knees like in the image on the right.

Alternatively, if you have one tall kid and two smaller ones, you could hold two and have one stand, put two on shoulders and have one stand…or if you’re really strong, attempt to hold all three!

Posing Tip #3: Walk In a Line!

Walking in a line towards the camera is a *great* tip for posing a family of five, regardless of the ages. I love the visual interest of putting shorter ones and taller ones in an every-other pattern but you could also hold a small baby on a hip while walking with the others.

Walking in a line parallel to the camera, a la Beatles, is another great option for a larger family. A small family doesn’t look as visually interesting in this pose but one of 5 or more can really spread out and lend an epic quality to the photo. I recommend grouping 1-3 people together or suggest some hand holding to build visual connection.

Posing Tip #4: Add Movement

Families of five or more add *so much* more visual interest for movement oriented images. Whether it’s running, swinging or throwing, take advantage of having more people to connect and interact with each other.

Posing Tip #5: Don’t Forget to Sit!

Seated images make it much easier to balance out the visual weight of a bigger family because it automatically brings everyone’s heads that much closer together. Even so, the staggering of heights adds dynamic interest to seated images just as it does to standing images. Try lifting one child in the air, having one stand instead of sit, or a shoulder sit.

Want to see more family posing tips? Check out my family work here or follow me on Instagram.