33 Fun Activities + Ideas for Unique Family Photos
Let me guess. . . you know you need some updated family photos, and you so badly want to document the beautiful, meaningful moments you share with the people you love most. But something is stopping you—maybe you’re feeling anxious about having to “perform” in front of the camera, or you’re positive that the kiddos would never be able to behave for an entire session. Fortunately, I’ve got a solution for ya that I’m SO confident will ease your worries, and turn your family photos from stressful as heck to easy, effortless, and completely personalized to you: all you need to do is include activities in your family session!
YES, it’s truly that simple—can I tell you why?
Why Include Activities In Your Family Photo Session?
I know what you might be thinking—“Madison, there’s no WAY the cure to our family photo fears is just. . . activities?!”
But I promise you that it really can be that easy!
One of the biggest hurdles I see my clients running into when we plan their session is worrying about what in the world they’ll actually be doing behind the camera.
“How are we supposed to pose?”
“What if my smile looks forced?”
“What if the kids are a chaotic mess and won’t even stand still for you?!”
First thing’s first: I’m known to be fantastic at capturing all the chaotic mess that is family life, and that can actually be such a beautiful, genuine thing to document—so I suggest you embrace the chaos instead of trying to force it away ;)
Secondly, I hate to break it to you, but you’re probably always going to feel at least a LITTLE bit awkward in front of the camera. . . it’s never going to feel completely natural to have somebody getting up close and personal, snapping endless photos of you on a giant piece of equipment.
So our goal isn’t necessarily to get rid of the awkwardness completely, but rather to distract you SO completely from it that you don’t even notice it anymore! By far the best way I’ve found to make that happen? Incorporating activities into family sessions.
Instead of asking you to just smile for 10 billion photos in a row and see how many variations of the same pose we can do for 30 minutes. . . I’d much rather you be enjoying yourselves, interacting with each other naturally and candidly as I document whatever you’re doing. This is the only way to truly capture your family in its most authentic state, acting as you would on a normal day together—and really, that’s the whole goal with your family photos!
Gone are the days of stiff, overly-posed portraits in matching outfits at JCPenney—I’m here for candid moments that feel undeniably like your unique family, not just any old stock-photo-family out of a magazine catalog.
We’ll dive into a bunch of fun ideas in a minute, but just to give you a sneak peek—you could be playing with your kids in the backyard, building Legos, making pizza together like you do every Friday night, or doing ANYTHING you love to do together, and your photos will be so, so much more meaningful!
Instead of looking back at your photos in 10 years and remembering how uncomfortable you felt (or seeing how uncomfortable you looked), you’ll be able to look back fondly, remembering exactly how that moment felt; what it was like to bake cookies with your kiddos on a Saturday morning, or to snuggle them close on the couch you spent months saving up for.
Once you start prioritizing how your photos feel rather than look, you’ll be well on your way to having images that hold a special spot in your heart for the rest of your life.
How to Choose Activities for Your Family Session
This all sounds great, but how the heck do you choose activities to include in your family photo session?!
Here are 15 questions to help you pick activities that will create impactful + authentic photos for your fam:
What would you find yourselves doing on a free weekend night?
What does your morning routine look like?
What does your evening/nighttime routine look like?
What do you like to do around your neighborhood/local area?
Where do you spend the most time together outside of your home?
What do your kids love to do on their birthdays?
What are your kids’ favorite ways to be active?
What do your kids always ask to do? (e.g. they always want to go get ice cream!)
What brings the biggest smiles to your kids’ faces?
What does a typical Sunday afternoon look like for your family?
What are your three favorite ways to spend quality time together?
What’s something your kids love to do with their hands?
What never fails to make your kids laugh?
What’s one of your favorite family memories, and how could you recreate it?
What makes you feel present in the moment with your family?
33 Unique + Candid Family Photo Ideas
Once you’ve asked those questions, you may have a better idea of activities that could be fun to include in your family photos! If you’re still struggling to come up with anything or just want a lil’ inspiration, I’ve got a big list of 33 ideas + activities for authentic family photos for ya below.
1. Kite flying
2. Making + flying paper airplanes
3. Getting ice cream
4. Fishing
5. Swimming in the river
6. Going to the splash pad
7. Playing with your kids’ favorite toys
8. Doing chores around the farm
9. Riding bikes around the neighborhood
10. Finger painting
11. Snapping Polaroids
12. Going on a family walk (or bike ride, or scooter ride)
13. Having a pillow fight
14. Going to the skatepark
15. Dressing up in costumes
16. Playing at the park + playground
17. Making snow angels + snowmen
18. Eating at your favorite diner
19. Paddleboarding or canoeing
20. Swimming in your pool
21. Playing instruments
22. Running a lemonade stand
23. Jumping on the trampoline
24. Playing cards
25. Baking cookies (or any type of cooking!)
26. Roller skating
27. Playing a board game
28. Running through the sprinklers
29. Having a family BBQ
30. Playing games in the backyard
31. Walking around the local fair
32. Snuggling in bed
33. Shooting hoops (or scoring goals)
Aren’t all of those photos adorable? I’m truly obsessed with all of these families who spent time thinking outside of the box, and planning activities that would make their session so freaking special + personal to them.
Remember: your activities do NOT have to be complicated at all. Incorporating activities can be as simple as playing with blocks in your living room, sunbathing in your backyard, or eating your favorite snacks together—as long as you’re genuinely present with the people you love, that’s all you really need.
You also need a photographer to document it all, of course, and I just so happen to be a friendly neighborhood photographer that families love. Every one of my clients holds a special place in my heart, and it’s so important to me that they feel their photos are truly representative of the unique life they live.
If you’re looking for an experienced family photographer to document this season of your life, whatever it may look like, reach out now and we’ll get to planning!
For more family session tips + advice, take a peek at a couple more blogs below:
