More and more families are sending personalised photo Christmas cards each year, and, each year more and more families are finding out just how tricky it can be getting ‘that perfect picture’ when you’ve got children who just don’t want to cooperate!

The easiest way to get family photos is to pay a professional to take them. They will be used to wrangling unwilling spouses and getting the best out of over tired children, but not everyone has the time or money to do this so let me share with you with my top 5 tips for taking your own Family Photos…

1 – Use a tripod or get a friend to take them

It’s so much easier than trying to balance your camera on a wall and it’s far less likely to slip or fall off and break.

If asking someone else to take them, set the camera up, explain exactly what you want, maybe even take a photo to show them an example and then let them shoot away.

2 – Remember, you don’t have to be looking at the camera.

Being asked to stare at a camera and smile is stressful, you worry that your smile isn’t natural, what should you do with your hands? Have you got lipstick on your teeth? Have they taken it yet? The more you worry, the more forced your smile becomes.

The way to counter this is to opt for a more natural pose, if you’re a couple, lean in and give your partner a kiss on the cheek, if the kids are there, turn them upside down or get everyone to look at the person nearest and smile at them instead of the camera. These ideas result in far more natural smiles and make the photo session more fun.

If all else fails go with humour, wrap the kids up in fairy lights, photograph your reflection in a bauble or get everyone a santa hat to wear, the more fun people are having, the better the photos.

3 – Use natural light

When taking photos outdoors it’s best to look for light shade, trees are perfect for this, you end up with beautiful, filtered light and it’s not too dark. Try and avoid standing out in the glaring sun as you’ll end up with harsh shadows in your pictures and increase the likelihood of your family squinting down the camera lens.

If you’re taking your photos indoors, try to ensure you’re in front of a large window so you get the best light.

The golden hour, the final 90 minutes or so before sunset, is a perfect time to take photos as the light is soft and golden (hence the name).

4 – Location, location, location

Find a lovely old brick wall or painted fence to stand in front of. Maybe go to your favourite spot in the woods or go with somewhere personal, like your back garden. Heck you could even build a replica of the North Pole, complete with fake snow and dress your pets as elves.

Have a good look at what will be in the background of your pictures, there is little worse than getting home to find a telegraph pole sticking out of someone’s head!

Whatever location you choose though, make sure there’s plenty of natural light.

5 – Take loads of photos

The more photos you take, the more chances there will be one where no-one is blinking, poking their sibling, picking their nose or staring off into space.

Try a few different poses, it helps reduce boredom for kids and, again, increases your chances of finding that perfect photo.

Em Rathbone is a stay at home Mum who blogs about life with her 2 kiddos at snowingindoors.com. Em has a passion for photography, reading, learning through play and eating crisps! She spends her days building LEGO creations, pushing swings, quoting lines from Toy Story, reading stories (& doing all the voices), kissing bumps & bruises better and enjoying pretend tea parties.