Compared with other types of photography, family portraits often demand for a more formal pose. Its purpose is to capture unity, an essential aspect that keeps a family together. Studio photographers apply both technical and non-technical elements to depict such characteristic.
Technically speaking, how the portrait would look relies upon the composition. Composition pertains to how the key elements are put together to come up with an interesting picture, or in this case to highlight the family’s unique identity as a group. On the not so technical aspect of portrait photography, professional photographers attain great composition by requesting the subjects to wear coordinated color tones for their clothing. There are photography studios that provide formal attires that their clients can use, particularly those that photograph a group in their formal clothing.
Aside from executive attires-which are considered classic for formal family portrait-there are other options to pull off a formal look even without requiring the family members to use coat and tie or corporate dresses. This can be achieved by requesting the family to wear clothes that depict their culture or religion, or anything that distinguishes them as a family.
For example, a Muslim family can wear clothing that would make them easily identifiable. Women in Islam should wear modest garments like long shorts and skirts or the more traditional jilbab, a high-necked, lose robe that covers the arms and legs. Again, it is important that the family have a unified color of clothing.
Emphasizing the individual personality of the family members is also vital in capturing group photography. Photographers achieve this by making sure that every member of the family feels comfortable about their overall appearance. The great composition the photographer has visualized for the family would be wasted if one or two of the subjects look extremely uncomfortable in the photo. This only shows that “[family] portrait [photography] is only as compelling as each individual in the photograph.”
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