15 awkward family photo poses (on purpose) for the funniest photos

An intentionally awkward family photo is one of the most shared photos a family can make. The trick is commitment: everyone plays it completely straight. Pick a pose, dress for it, and shoot it as if it were the most serious portrait of your lives. Then take a normal one too, so grandma is happy.

The classics

1. The totem pole. Everyone stacked vertically: dad kneeling at the bottom, kids above, faces in a column. Deadpan expressions.

2. The hand on the shoulder chain. Everyone in a line, each person with a hand on the next person's shoulder, all looking off into the distance.

3. The chin rest. Each person resting their chin on the head of the person in front.

4. The lying-down pyramid. Everyone lying on their stomachs stacked on top of each other.

5. The dramatic gaze. All looking the same way, off-camera, as if into the future.

Retro studio looks

6. The laser background. Find a retro laser backdrop image on a TV or screen behind you, or hang a sparkly curtain.

7. Matching denim. Everyone in double denim.

8. The 80s portrait. Big collars, side parts, and one person holding a rose.

9. The soft-focus glow. Smear the tiniest amount of lip balm around the edge of a clear phone case for a dreamy blur, and keep the centre clear. Or use a nylon stocking over the lens.

Props

10. The giant fish. Everyone proudly holding a single fish (or a toy).

11. The family sweater. One giant sweater, or matching knitted vests.

12. Holding the baby like a trophy. Carefully. Very carefully.

13. The pet as the parent. The dog in the middle, everyone else posed around it like it is the head of the family.

Recreations

14. Recreate your childhood photo. Same clothes (as close as possible), same pose, same place, decades later. Post them side by side.

15. The yearly tradition. The same awkward pose every year, so the series becomes the joke.

How to make it work

• Commit. No smiling, no breaking. Awkward photos only work when everyone plays it straight.
• Symmetry helps. Centre the group and keep the camera level. The Portrait 1 guide centres a full-body frame.
• Flat light for the retro look. Face a window or use a lamp straight on.
• Use a tripod and timer. Take several rounds; someone always laughs.

For normal family poses, see family photo poses.

Frame it (badly, on purpose)

slay overlays composition guides on your live iPhone camera. Even awkward photos look better when the frame is right.

Get slay on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6807513456?utm_source=slaycamera&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=awkward-family-photo-poses