Fun Family Photo Shoot Ideas

What are some words that come to mind when thinking about booking a family photoshoot? Maybe worry, daunting, and possibly wondering what you should do? Or maybe how can we get those candid photos when our home is not “aesthetically pleasing”. These are often some of the worries I hear from families when they reach out to me about booking. Another big one “I’m open to ideas if you have any!” In other words, please tell us what to do!! 

I want you to know that this is for sure more common than not. As it should be too, you’re not the photographer, so you might not know what to expect. Your photographer should be someone that can guide you through the process to make sure that you are getting the best experience and photos out of this whole process!

When you book with me, one thing I do is ask questions. I want to get to know you, what’s important to you and your family, to then be able to help plan out your session to make it a fun family shoot and easy for you.

That isn’t to say that you can’t also come to your photographer with a fun family shoot idea too! To make things a little easier for you, I’m sharing five fun family photo shoot ideas that can be done pretty much in any home or any location! 

These fun family shoot ideas are meant to spark creativity, while also creating an experience for you and your family. The more engaged and present you are with your family the better your photos will turn out! This is how you capture emotion, connection, and those candid photos that everyone wants!

Here are five fun family photo ideas that you may want to try at your next family photo session!

Head to your local Farmer’s Market!

How fun and cute would this be for your family photo session! Do a little cruise around with your littles and pick out some fresh fruits and veggies, and then you can even set up a picnic blanket at a nearby park or grassy spot to snack on some of the fresh produce! This type of session will keep you and your family engaged and present with each other, while your photographer (cough cough me!) will document it all. Being at the Farmer’s Market can allow for a lot of creative angles, interactions, and backdrops that your photographer can get such variety in your gallery! 

Cozy up and read!

Another great fun family photo session idea is having a slower session at home while setting up a cozy reading corner for you and your kids to go through your favourite books together! Reading with your children is such a typical part of your routine and a time for connection on a regular basis, that this fun little photo session idea will feel so typical for your kids and you! This will help keep things comfortable, engaging, and fun for everyone.

Paper airplanes!!

My third fun family photo shoot idea is to find yourselves a field or grassy area and make a couple of paper airplanes and fly those babies around! This is for sure on my bucket list of fun photo sessions, and I can’t wait to do this with a family in the future! Imagine how much fun your kids would have doing this, and it is such a great opportunity to burn off energy, while being playful together! Once their energy is burned off you can also include some more relaxed cuddly moments on a blanket together. Seriously, such a great fun family photo session idea! 

City Cruising!

Next up for your fun family photo shoot idea is to take a little stroll downtown, whether this be in your local neighbourhood on Main street or in the city with the skyscrapers! There is always opportunity for unique shots in a session like this, while also being able to explore with your family. This would be a great idea if you’re planning a family session and your children are a little older because this is likely to be more engaging, interesting, and fun for them! Dare I say they might feel cool doing this with their parents. (Maybe too far?? Not sure my girls are still young!) However, getting to cruise around the city with your kids at any age would be so fun and such a fun family photo shoot idea!

Pizza Party!

Lastly, for my final fun family photo session idea that any family can do, is to order a pizza and have a floor pizza party! This can be in your living room, kitchen, or even bed if you’re feeling crazy! Lmao. But this for sure will keep kids entertained, happy, and engaged! You can throw on some music and do a little dancing and have the box of pizza out for snacking together! Now this is definitely not for the faint, and be prepared for potential messes, however you can guarantee that you and the kids will remember this one! Creating memories and documenting them is what it’s all about! So much fun for a family session. 

So if you’re feeling stuck in terms of planning for your upcoming family photo session and worried that you won’t get candid or those storytelling images, use one of these fun family session ideas and you will for sure get a gallery that is memorable and super creative! I’d recommend finding a photographer that has experience dabbling in storytelling photography or is a storytelling photographer, as they are easy going and typically up for anything, at least I know I am! 

You want your family photo session to be fun, comfortable, and memorable (in a good way!), while also capturing photos that you can feel the connection through. Having some fun ideas to plan your family session around will help do just that! 

If any of these fun family session ideas feel aligned with you and you want to document, reach out here and we can plan your session out together!