There is a lot to think about when taking a photo. For this family photo, I wanted to make sure that we were all evenly lit. I found a large semi-circle break in the trail that gave nice even light.

We also made sure to frame the photo so that our feet were in the picture and left plenty of room for headspace.

Leaving space around a family is really important if you want to print/frame the image and gives you options later on when you want to resize or fit it into a different format.

As a family photographer, I have seen too many families try to force their kids into trying something new for the photographer/photo session. This rarely goes as planned. They aren't actors and often it makes the child feel coerced into doing something.

If there is some sort of pose you would like to do with your kids, try introducing it at home weeks or even months before your photoshoot. This will help the moment look (for the photograph) and feel (for the participants) more natural.

Our kids kiss goodnight, kiss family/friends when we say good-bye and is part of our wake up/night time routine. So... when we asked "Can you do a sister kiss?" it was easy and natural.

Not every picture has to be a "family" photo. Don't forget to photograph something special about each child, person, parent.

This is during "special time". Since we don't always nap during quiet time, we have a designated hour for reading, playing and resting on our own.

Whatever your family tradition or personality, solo shots can help to highlight or isolate those unique traits.

Kids aren't monkeys (although ours climb enough that we think they might be partially primates). We, parents, wanted to take a photo that we got last year. The girls weren't interested in a posed moment, so we made it a fun moment. The more they like taking pictures, the easier it is to get pictures of the family later.

This was just a cool moment. My wife was watching the sunset over the Pacific and our little "E" wanted to climb on up. After a long day of travel, it was a special moment of peace that turned out to be one of my favorite pictures of the weeklong trek.

Often photographers don't want to be in pictures. With family vacations, you have to remember that you aren't taking pictures just for yourself. You are taking them on behalf of the family. Be in a few photos so that your kids, spouse, and friends have equal access to jokes about your dated clothing and how young you looked.