The holiday season is almost here, bringing with it fun family gatherings full of yummy food, lots of laughter, and many new memories. As your family gathers to celebrate the holidays, you may be asked to snap a family photo while everyone is together. Preparation is key. So let me share with you some tried and true tips for making these informal family photos go as smoothly as possible…

1 | Create a Game Plan

Decide on a location and where you want people to stand in advance. You may even want to draw it out on a piece of paper, like I did in the image below. That way, you can literally show people where you’d like them to sit or stand. You may want to group families together, with the grandparents holding one or two small babies. You might also position you and your family on the outside of the grouping. This will allow you to easily move around and make any last minute posing or placement changes before you jump into the photo yourself. Also, think about props. Will you need chairs or a bench for a couple of family members to sit on? If grandparents will be in the picture, having them seated with others gathered around them makes for a nice cozy photo.

2 | Location, Location, Location!

Even though it’s getting a bit chillier outside, you may want to consider taking your group shot where there’s plenty of room to fit the entire family in the photo. Pick a location with a non-distracting background. Trees, evergreens, even wood fencing can be a nice backdrop for your photo.

3 | Show Your Personality

Don’t worry about having everyone coordinate clothing. Let their personalities show! A good rule of thumb though, is to avoid extreme colors or patterns. So, you may want to give everyone a heads up a few days before and let them know you’d like to take a group photo.

One of my favorite family photos is this one of my Grandmother’s family when she was a teenager. I mean, you don’t get much more personality than this! Imagine what this photo would look like if everyone was dressed similarly, standing together, smiling. It wouldn’t be the same, would it? You wouldn’t get the brothers in the background boxing, little sister cuddling up to her big sis, or Grandpa smoking his pipe. So, even though I’m giving you a bunch of tips for getting the “group shot,” look for opportunities to tell more of a story.

4 | Timing is Everything

If it’s sunny, plan to take your photo just before sunset to ensure you’ll have gorgeous lighting. If you don’t have control over the time of day, shoot in the shade. If it’s more of an overcast day, you’re golden. You won’t have to worry about people squinting or harsh shadows on their faces.

5 | Use a Tripod

Before you gather everyone for a photo, set up your tripod, find your settings, and compose the shot. This will speed things up and cut down on the stress level of gathering everyone together, especially those squirmy little kiddos!

6 | Aperture/Shutter

To ensure everyone is in focus, use an aperture of at least f8 or f11. Also, place people as close to each other as possible (on the same level). Also, keep the shutter above 1/100 to freeze any movement from the children.

7 | Shoot Wide Angle

You’ll want to use the widest angle lens you have available to you. This will allow you to get close enough to the group to capture as much detail in the faces as possible.

8 | Places, Everyone!

Gather those family members without kids first, then those with older children, and finally those with young babies, as they will be the ones with the smallest attention spans. Once everyone is positioned where you’d like, give the group a last glance, checking for any hidden faces, shadow problems, etc.

9 | Time it Right

If you have a remote shutter, this is the time to pull it out! Also, make sure your camera is set to continuous shooting mode, this will allow you to fire off several shots at a time. If you don’t have a remote shutter, you may think about investing in one. For about $20, a remote will save you from having to run back and forth.

10 | Say Cheese!

To get the little children to look at the camera, you might place a small stuffed animal on top of the camera. Just before hitting the shutter button say, “Where’s Elmo?” Then fire off several shots to ensure all faces are looking at the camera. You may want to check the LCD screen to make sure the photo is just how you want it before you dismiss everyone.

Don’t be too concerned if not all the children are looking directly at the camera. Sometimes, the faces that are unplanned for make the best photos in the end.

11 | Most of All, Have Fun!

Don’t get too caught up in taking the perfect photo that you miss out on the main reason for taking it.

What are some of your favorite tips for shooting large family group photos? Share them with us in the comments below…