• Family portraits capture a cherished moment in time.family image by Valentin Mosichev from Fotolia.com
  
  Family portraits create lasting memories for your close, extended and future family members. Whether you hire a professional or take your own portraits, a staircase offers many different options for portraits. Use a few different positions, backgrounds and poses to determine the best photograph. Narrow down your choices to four different pictures and pick the best one for your portrait.
  
  

Staggering Effect

• Use the staircase to your advantage and stagger your family members. Situate the tallest family members toward the back and the shortest at the front, so everybody has space to be seen. Also try positioning your family members (tallest to shortest again) so they are looking out over the stair railing. Have everybody place a hand on the stair rail and turn his or her head to face the camera.
  
  

Action Shot

• Utilize the staircase as a way to create an action portrait. If you have two teenage kids, for example, have them slide down the staircase (in a safe manner) while you (the parents) are coming down the stairs. Use whichever facial expression you might make if it were a spontaneous situation happening in your household.
  
  

Casual

• Use your steps and staircase as props to create a casual family portrait. Hang jackets, backpacks or any other items commonly found in your staircase area. Leave anything on the steps (like shoes or homework assignments, for example) for props as well. Discuss amongst one another how each would like to pose for the photo. For example, if two people wanted sit, one person wants to stand and the other wants to sprawl out on the steps, figure out the best way to utilize these positions for the photo.
  
  

Holiday Portrait

• Capture a family portrait for all kinds of holidays by using the staircase as a decoration backdrop. For example, if you wanted to take a Halloween portrait, decorate the staircase with some cotton cobwebs and plastic spiders. Gather everyone for a picture (using any of the above ideas or one of your own) to capture the holiday spirit. Be sure that everyone is dressed in his or her costume for a Halloween portrait.
  
  

House Arrest Portrait

• For a goofy family portrait, gather the family along the staircase for a jailhouse-style picture. Have your family place their hands through the railings and their face against them (not through the railings for safety purposes) as though they were jail bars. Print the photo in black and white and share with your extended family and friends as a gag.