I make no secret that I adore travel. One of my goals is to show my kids as much as the globe as possible. Opening my kids’ eyes to other cultures is one of the greatest gifts I can give them. Whether you love international travel as much as I do, or a quick weekend road trip is more your style, it’s important to photograph your family on vacation so they have those memories to look back on. Here are my top tips for photographing your family vacations.

Get in the picture:

Mamas, this one is for you. So often, the mom is the family photographer, whether she’s a professional or not. You want your kids to be able to look back at your vacation album and know that you were there too! I always make sure I hand over my camera so that I can be photographed too.

Instead of posing your kids, just photograph them as they are:

When you’re on vacation, kids are there to have fun. Instead of asking them to stop and smile, photograph them playing, building sandcastles, swimming etc.

Don’t forget to photograph the details:

Did you kids build sandcastles? Find a cool seashell? Take pictures of these things since you can’t physically take them home with you.

Kids playing in beach with sand buckets in front

Use shapes to add interest in your photographs:

I love to use shape to add visual interest in my pictures. In the photograph below, I liked how my son’s drink shape and color matched the spots on the floatie.

Child sitting in a circular floatie in a pool

Frame your subjects

I love adding framing in my photographs, In the below image, I waited for my son to go under the arch. The arch frames him in, adding more visual interest.

Photograph the environment

You choose your destination for a reason. Don’t forget to stand back and photograph your family enjoying it!

Photograph your kids trying new foods/drinks

One of the things I love most about traveling is exposing my kids to new foods. I’m lucky that most of my kids are excited to try new things. I always make sure I photograph this.

Child drinking out of a coconut at the beach

Try for a couple of group images

I know my tip was to photograph them playing, but it’s always nice to get a group image of all your kids together.

Don’t forget about your lodgings:

Whether you’re staying in a hotel, a tent, or an Airbnb, you’ll be spending a lot of time there, so make sure it makes your vacation album.

Three children walking through an all inclusive resort

Framing

I mentioned above that I like to “frame” my subjects. Get creative with this. What can you use to frame your subjects. Here are some more examples:

Photograph differences between the place you’re visiting and home

Are you in a new country? Photograph their flag, or new foods, or anything that is unique to that place.

New activities and adventures

I’m sure this is one you’re already doing, but make sure you take a few photographs of any fun or new adventures you’re having. My kids had an unexpected horse ride on the beach so I made sure I photographed that.

I hope this inspires you to photograph your next vacation. It doesn’t matter whether you use a DSLR, a mirrorless camera or your phone. It’s just important to take the pictures! For what it’s worth, all my vacation pictures were taken with a camera I bought specifically for traveling. It is the Fujifilm x100v. It’s super lightweight and small and easily fits in my handbag. It has a fixed length lens, which is fine for me as I’m used to photographing with a prime lens. I also felt much safer not taking my professional camera on vacation with us.

How to Photograph Your Family Vacation {Seattle Family Photographer}