10 tips – How to avoid awkward family photos with teenagers

Lets face it , we have all had our fair share of awkward family photos in the past, which you look back on afterwards and wonder why you did it in the first place. But the truth is standing in front of the camera immediately makes you feel awkward. I know I for one really struggle with it, its like you suddenly dont know what to do with your hands or how you normally smile.

If you feel this awkward in front of the camera then for sure you are not going to be looking forward to a family photoshoot. This is why I try to make it my mission during a family photoshoot to make you feel as relaxed as possible. Because if you feel awkward you are definitely going to have awkward family photos.

Teenagers in particular seem to struggle in front of the camera. I guess this is a time in your life where you are trying to establish your social standing, and be really cool in front of everybody else, so its a big deal . I get it. So how do i make teenagers feel more comfortable in front of the camera? I really like Susannah Allen’s approach for overall photoshoots, but for teenagers there are a few other things you can do.

How to avoid awkward family photos with teenagers

1. Let them be a part of the process. If you are a parent preparing for a photoshoot then let them help make decisions like what outfits to wear or choosing the photoshoot location. This helps them to feel more involved and that you care about what they think, and they are more likely to want to be involved in the photoshoot itself.
2. Avoid overly posed and set up poses. Keeping things very formal can make people feel even more awkward, so try to keep things as light and casual as possible.
3. Dont go with uniform outfits – its outdated first of all, but the forced conformity may also make them feel more awkward. Unless of course they want this look specifically.
4. Go for a comfortable location without too many crowds where they will have to do this in front of an audience. That can immediately increase how awkward they feel, so try to avoid this, unless they love being in front of an audience.
5. Encourage genuine smiles by using prompts rather than directing them how to stand and pose. Adding movement and action, and anticipating reactions to a prompt often produces much better results. See below for a few photos prompt ideas to get you started.

Here are some of my favourite prompts to get teenagers to relax and act more naturally and just have some fun during a family photoshoot.

1. Use movement to loosen things up. A walk and bump shoulders or hips or imagine an invisible line you have to fight over works really well.
2. Race to a point and back – for a few moments the competitive edge takes over and it normally ends in a few smiles
3. Spin around and flick your hair is another great one for movement – especially if they have long hair or for a girl with a flowing dress to show off.
4. Teach your parents some of the most up to date slang words and get them to use them in a sentence. This usually leads to more animated expressions and engagement between kids and parents as the kids take the lead as the teacher and the roles reverse for a few moments.
5. Hug your mum/sibling/dad as hard as you can – I usually use this towards the end of a photo session as they are a bit more relaxed by that stage, and most are happy to actually hug a sibling or parent , they are family after all , and this can give a feeling of warmth to a picture. you can let them play around with it ,try to pick each other up off the floor etc, can be a bit of fun.