Shooting family photography is an art all its own. Here are a few helpful tips to help take those family pictures.

Family Photography

• Sides

Watch the end people, those farthest to the right and the left in your viewfinder, and verify there is enough space in the picture, so that if cropping is required, the end people don't have to lose a limb.
• The Flash

Do you or don't you?  Using the flash as a fill flash is a great idea, this will help keep the the dark areas under the eyse and nose filled with light.  But watch for your shadows, those that hit the wall behind your group can take a good picture and make it look bad. 
• Watch Your Background

If there are distracting features, change the background.  The best photography pose in the world won't look right with a distracting background.
• Mirror, Mirror, on The Wall

If there are mirrors or reflective surfaces in the background and you can't find a different location, only take the picture in such a way that the flash will bounce off the surface, but at an angle (unless you want a nice photo of your flash).

Outdoor Portraits

• The Sun

Avoid photographing in direct sunlight, or in mixed light and shade, especially faces. Optimal lighting for almost any photography pose, results from a slightly overcast sky.  Try to keep the sun out of the eyes of the people that you are shooting, this will just make them squint.  Don't face the sun either, as you may get sun flairs or wrong readings from your camera and the photo may come out over or under exposed.
• Shade

When photgraphing in shade, usefill flash when necessary.
• Beauty

If practical, take the picture at one of the beautiful natural settings near you. Imagine the result of a creative photography pose captured in a stunning environment.