Beautiful Everyday

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How to Arrange People in a Family Photo (Without Losing Your Sanity)

With Chinese New Year and Hari Raya coming up, many families start thinking about taking a proper family photo. What often sounds simple can quickly become stressful. Who stands where? How do we fit everyone in? Why does it look awkward even though everyone is smiling?

The truth is, most family photos don’t fall apart because of the camera or lighting. They fall apart because of arrangement. When people are placed with intention, the photo instantly feels more balanced, connected, and meaningful. It took me years to learn some of these lessons the hard way – by evaluating my photos and finally understanding what worked and what didn’t. Thankfully, 17 years later, I have refined my thought process during every photo shoot. So here are some practical tips to help you elevate your DIY family photos, whether you’re working with a small group or a big extended family.

1. Start with the number of people and the space you have

Before thinking about poses, first be clear about how many people will be in the photo. A group of 10 people needs to be arranged very differently from a group of 20. The size of the group determines how much space you need and how creative you can be with positioning.

More space makes things easier. It allows you to spread people out, create layers, and adjust without rushing. If the space feels tight, you will need to be more intentional about who goes where. This is exactly how I plan my family sessions, especially for larger groups.

2. Arrange people by relationships, not by height

One of the most important things I look at when photographing large families is the family structure. For extended families, I often ask for a simple family tree or a list of names and relationships. This helps me understand how everyone is connected.

For example:
Grandfather and grandmother
Their eldest son and his wife with two children (with age)
Their second son and his wife with two younger children (with age)

Once relationships are clear, the arrangement becomes much easier. Knowing the age of the children helps me a lot too because positioning a 1-year-old would look different from positioning a 16-year-old. I usually place grandparents in the centre as the heart of the family. Each nuclear family stays together, with children close to their own parents instead of being placed randomly in the group.

This approach does two things. Visually, the photo feels organised and intentional. Emotionally, people feel more comfortable standing with those they are closest to, and that comfort shows in the photo.

3. Create layers to add depth and interest

Flat rows tend to look stiff and uninspiring, especially for large groups. Instead, try to create layers by mixing sitting and standing positions.

Some people can sit on chairs or the floor, while others stand behind them. If you are outdoors, use stairs, low walls, tree roots, or rocks. Indoors, stools, boxes, or even the edge of a sofa can help create different heights.

For groups of 15 people or more, you may need two to three layers. Don’t be afraid to let children sit on the floor or stand on a higher surface with support. Layering helps everyone be seen clearly and makes the photo feel more dynamic and natural.

4. Look for triangles and varied heights

Once people are layered, pay attention to height differences. A tall person doesn’t always need to stand, and a shorter person doesn’t always need to sit. The goal is to create gentle triangular shapes throughout the photo.

These triangles guide the eye and make the composition more interesting. Think of it as creating small peaks and slopes rather than straight lines. Move people slightly, adjust where they sit or stand, and see how the overall shape changes. This is something photographers constantly fine-tune during a session, so take your time and enjoy experimenting.

5. Using a sofa without making it look boring

Sofas are common in home photos, but they can easily look dull if everyone sits in a straight line. Try mixing things up by asking someone to sit on the armrest with their legs turned sideways, or placing a few people on the floor in front of the sofa.

If there are people standing behind the sofa, bring them as close as possible to those seated so the group feels connected. For those sitting, ask them to sit slightly forward rather than leaning back fully. This helps with posture and keeps faces closer together.

Every sofa is different. Some are deep or bulky, so not every pose will work. Adjust accordingly and see what looks best in your space.

6. Keep faces close and take a test shot

A simple tip that makes a big difference is encouraging people to lean in slightly towards one another. Small movements like shoulders touching or heads gently angled closer can instantly make the photo feel warmer and more connected.

Always take a quick test shot and review it. Look out for gaps, hidden faces, or anyone feeling too far away from the group. Make small adjustments instead of starting over. This is exactly how I work during professional sessions.

A final thought

Family group photos are not easy, especially when there are many personalities involved and different dynamics to the relationships. Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for connection. When people feel comfortable, seen, and close to one another, the photo will naturally feel right.

And if arranging everyone still feels overwhelming, that’s completely normal. This is where having a professional family photographer helps. My role is not just to take photos but to guide families gently through the process so they can relax and enjoy the moment together.

Grace Tan In At Home, Beautiful Everyday, Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Embracing Malaysian Culture in Family Photography

Since it’s Malaysia Day, I was thinking about how we can incorporate Malaysian culture into our family photo sessions. My heritage as a child born into a Peranakan family in Melaka is colourful, but personally, I have not embraced much of the culture in my daily life (except to wear the kebaya and eat pong teh occasionally). My children certainly do not identify as being Peranakan.

The thing is, growing up, seeing my mom cook all her Peranakan dishes using the batu lesung, listening to my parents speak the Peranakan lingo, and being asked to pin the kerongsang on her kebaya didn’t feel like heritage. It felt like a normal, everyday part of life. I didn’t know what I had until I lost it. Of course, I never had the opportunity to document most of these everyday memories, as cameras were a luxurious item we didn’t own back then. This photo of my parents taken in front of our home in Melaka is a precious memory for me. It is not fancy, but it is meaningful.

We value the things we once took for granted as we age. I wish my parents were still alive so I could take a beautiful portrait of them in their element. If I could do it again, I would photograph my mom in her kebaya holding a bakul sia filled with her homemade pineapple tarts, which she used to make every Chinese New Year. I would create a mini-video documentary of everyday life snippets, filled with stories from yesteryear.

As a family photographer, I have photographed so many different cultures in Malaysia. Family photo shoots are more than just a moment in time—they are a celebration of history, heritage, and identity. Interestingly, as more and more inter-racial marriages take place, our cultural identity becomes even more diverse and fascinating for the next generation!

So here are some ideas on how you can infuse Malaysian family culture into your next photo shoot and create something that resonates deeply with your family’s story.

1. Cultural Dressing

Clothing is one of the easiest and most visually striking ways to incorporate culture into family photos. In Malaysia, we are blessed with beautiful cultural garments that can be beautifully showcased in a photo shoot. Whether you are wearing the baju kurung, cheongsam, saree, or any East Malaysian traditional costume, these outfits can look especially striking because most of them are rather colorful! These outfits can carry deep meaning, reflecting your family’s roots and values.

2. Locations

Malaysia’s diverse landscapes are another wonderful way to integrate cultural elements into your photos. Choosing locations that are meaningful to your family’s background or that hold cultural significance can create a profound visual story. For some of you, your family home could be a heritage site or museum on its own! You could take photos in your hometown, whether it is the city or the kampung. When making a choice, think about the significance of the locations to you. It could even be a simple location like the family swing, where you used to enjoy moments as sisters growing up.

3. Props

Props are a fantastic way to add personal and cultural touches to your family photos. Every Chinese New Year, my family would dress up for a family photo. It’s a great time to add in props like Mandarin oranges, lanterns, bakul sias, baskets, and angpaos! Other ideas could be incorporating old family photos into the current image. It’s a great way to remember how far you have come and to see how everyone has aged gracefully.

4. Extending the Shoot: Coffee Table Books and Family Videos

After your photo shoot, you can enhance the experience by crafting keepsakes that narrate your family’s story more comprehensively. You could do it with a beautifully designed coffee table book that allows you to showcase the photos in a way that tells your family’s story. You can organize the book chronologically, starting with older family members and progressing to the younger generations, or you can group photos by theme—such as family traditions, celebrations, or important milestones. This family went the extra mile in creating their coffee table book—it was a huge family project that incorporated their family tree, written stories, and scanned letters from great-grandparents!

A video is another way to capture the essence of your family’s cultural heritage. We’ve created short family films that combine video clips from the shoot with candid moments, and sometimes even interviews with family members. Imagine capturing your grandparents sharing stories about their youth or your children talking about what their heritage means to them. This turns your family photos into a living, breathing memory that you can pass down through generations.

Documenting heritage through photos and videos can be a wonderful way of passing a piece of life to the next generation. This is why we do what we do at Stories—our vision is to touch lives by building visual stories for the present and future generations. As a photographer, it’s a joy and honour to capture these moments, knowing they’ll be cherished for years to come.

Grace Tan In At Home, Beautiful Everyday, Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

Navigating the Challenges of Planning a Family Portrait Session

Whether you have 5 or 20 people in your session, it can feel daunting to bring your family together for a portrait session. It can look like a giant mountain you need to scale. Firstly, you have to convince the photophobic members of the family to even show up! Then you need to get everyone’s wardrobe in place, organise a time that fits everyone’s schedule (including working around the baby’s nap time), and finally, think of a location that is suitable. Before you even start, you feel tired already!

Trust me, your situation is more common than you think. As a photographer who has been in front of the camera too, I have personally faced every single challenge listed here. So here are some strategies to help you make this planning process smoother.

1. Convincing your photophobic family member to show up

Remind your family members that they are taking part in a family moment that will eventually be a visual heirloom for years to come. The years will just go by so quickly, and before you know it, the kids will have grown up, and it will be a different season altogether. As a photographer, I have personally invested time and energy to photograph my family every year. It’s my way of seeing how the kids are growing and how our family is ageing as the years go by. It is much better to have these images than to regret never doing it at all. Here’s Michelle and Kishore’s way of documenting their child’s 1st year as a baby, through a 10 month project with us!

2. Scheduling Conflicts

One of the biggest challenges in planning a family portrait session is finding a date and time that work for everyone involved. With busy lives and conflicting schedules, coordinating everyone can be a daunting task. Start by planning well in advance. You can create a shared calendar or use scheduling apps to find a suitable date that accommodates everyone. Be flexible and consider weekends or holidays when family members are more likely to be available. We have had clients organise a family portrait session for 40 people. It was difficult, but they made it happen!

3. Location Dilemmas

Choosing the right location is crucial for setting the tone and style of your family portraits. However, different family members may have varying preferences, making it challenging to decide on the perfect backdrop. You would also have to consider older family members, like grandparents in wheelchairs, etc. A strategy to work this through would be to openly discuss location options as a family and consider everyone’s input. If possible, select a location with sentimental value, such as a favourite park, family home, or vacation spot. Alternatively, you can opt for our professional studio, where we can control the environment.

Grace Tan In At Home, Beautiful Everyday, Casual Portraits, Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Family + Children Portraits, Musings, Portraits, Tips + Ideas, Weddings

Printing your photos as a family heirloom

We’ve all been there: your phone is bursting at the seams with photos, yet it’s all disorganised. We take a gazillion photos daily (especially if you are a parent, you’ll understand what I mean!) but these images are lost in the digital world, somewhere between the phone, the computer or the cloud. That is why we really encourage couples and families to print their images. Prints have a longer lifespan than digital images. Due to changes in technology, digital files can get lost or corrupted over time, but printed photos can be kept in albums or frames and passed down from one generation to the next.

It’s a beautiful feeling to be able to display your photos on a canvas on the wall or in an album on your coffee table. They provide a physical connection to the past, allowing family members to see and touch images of their precious loved ones. Family photos serve as a visual history of a family’s past. It’s really heartwarming to hear stories of children looking at their parent’s wedding albums, and asking where they were when the photos were taken! It’s a way for the younger generation to connect with their family’s heritage and understand their place in the family tree.

Printed images can hold such a powerful emotional reminder of an exact moment in time. The memories associated with that event brings back so much happiness. It’s so tangible, and more powerful than viewing images on a computer screen or phone. Why don’t you consider printing some images for your home? I guarantee you that it will add life and make your home even more cosy.

Chi Yin Tan In Beautiful Everyday, Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Maternity, Newborn, Portraits, Studio, Tips + Ideas

Makeup tips for your photography session

We highly recommend putting on some makeup for a photoshoot. That way, you would look your best and wouldn’t have to worry about taking photos from different angles!

After speaking with our makeup artist, Charlyn Leong, she said that there are some things we might do on our own to prepare. For basic makeup, we can prepare mascara, eyebrow pencil, blush, lipstick, compact powder, and oil-absorbing paper. Let’s dive in a little deeper.

Mascara – This is a great tool for enhancing your eyes, and it’s quite easy to use. It only takes a few seconds, and our eyes look better, so why not?

Eyebrow pencil – It’s good to have tidy eyebrows. Before you do this, make sure you have plucked or shaved some hair outside of the eyebrow shape. And then, use an eyebrow pen to fill in the spots that are empty. Just apply it softly without putting on too much pressure to create a more natural eyebrow.