London is arguably the world’s most visited city, and with a history stretching back over two millennia, there’s not only plenty to see, but also to photograph. If you’re visiting London, there’s no better way to forever preserve your memories than by immortalizing it through a family portrait session around some of the best known and loved London landmarks, like Buckingham Palace and Westminster. And if you live here, it’s great to record your family’s visual history with some cheerful candid pictures. So here are 10 tips for family portraits around London landmarks:

1. Make an itinerary
If you’re in London before the shoot, take your time and scout around for interesting locations in the vicinity of London landmarks. If you don’t have preparation time on the ground, here’s a great tip: use Google street view! Even the smallest London streets are indexed in the Google maps database, so you can virtually visit the desired locations and have some idea of what you can achieve. Never underestimate the power of good planning. It’s advisable to know how far each location is from is the next. Children get tired easily and you need to be quick and organized.

2. Start in the early hours of the day (preferably weekday).
London is one of the world’s most visited cities and there are loads of tourists around all the main landmarks, especially Westminster, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. The best time of the day to avoid crowds is morning, around 8am. The majority of visitors arrive a bit later, between 9-9:30am, so an early start gives you more time to snap those beautiful family portraits. When taking children’s portraits, it’s distracting having too many people walking across your frame and detracts attention from what’s really important: the child’s expressions and the landmarks in the background.

Try to take family pictures during the working week. London is way less crowded from Monday to Friday than it is at weekends.

3. Change the angle: ground level, eye level and bird’s eye.
The most important and creative rule in photography is “change the angle”. Bend your knees, shoot from ground level, climb up on bridges and tall buildings, and you’ll see stories from a new perspective.

4. Focus on your subject
You don’t need to show the Houses of Parliament or the London Eye in their entirety for the viewer to recognize that the picture was taken in London. It’s more powerful to focus on the subject and suggest a context rather than trying to cram everything in. Too many details can be overwhelming. Remember, you are trying to take a family portrait, not capture London architecture.

5. Open your aperture for close-up and medium close-up portraits.
The softness and the blur of an open aperture allows for more creative portraits. It is also easier to focus on children’s emotions and natural reactions when taking their portraits.

6. Use leading lines
Use leading lines to draw your viewer’s eye to your subject and create visual harmony. Leading lines are all around us: walls of large buildings, tunnels, bridges, fences, railings, stairs, street lights and so on.

7. Use architectural symmetry

8. Be creative with locations
Are you taking a ride on a double-decker bus or having a break in a traditional English pub? Don’t feel you have to put your camera to one side; keep using it and be creative, because indoor pictures can be just as beautiful as the ones near famous landmarks.

9. Bring outfit changes for diversity
Small outfit changes can introduce a lot of diversity to family portraits. Take a small break, find a café, enjoy a refreshing drink and take advantage of the opportunity to change outfits.

10. Take small breaks in London’s parks
Children get bored easily and need small breaks from all the walking and photo taking. Remember, to retain their interest and capture great shots, it has to be a fun process for them. Take them to a nearby park and photograph them playing around. There are numerous beautiful parks within walking distance from the most famous London sights: St. James’s Park, Hyde Park, Green Park, Victoria Tower Gardens and so on.

Otalia Onta – Guest Post
I am a professional photographer working at Sweet London Family Photography and I love to create stand alone images for families who live or visit London. I strive to capture the love, energy, humor and warmth that children bring to our life. I love cinema, Mediterranean food, storytelling, interacting with people and chasing childhood by photographing family life.
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