Ah, awkward family pictures! Can't live with them, could definitely live without them. However, it's quite funny seeing other people dig through their archive and find gems along the way. And have we prepared a treasure trove of photos today!
The Instagram page Awkward Family Photos has been serving the best content since 2009, entertaining their impressive collection of 1M followers in the process. This isn’t the first time we’ve covered this incredible page, so feel free to check out our previous article here. But for now, let’s dive into the nostalgia-inducing awkwardness.
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"There Was A Moth In Our Kitchen."
"My Mom Was Amish In The 90s. Apparently, When This Picture Was Taken She Was In Trouble With The Church For Breaking Off Three Engagements."
"This Old Picture Of My Great-Grandmother, Far Left, Makes It Look Like The Cameraman Just Stumbled Into A Secret Meeting Of The Grandmas..."
Imagine if they were Italian grandmas…. I can… i have those…. Mafia is real guys…..
"My Daughter’s One Year Old Picture Didn’t Go Quite As Planned..."
"1984, France. The Only Picture I Have Of My Grandma And She Looks Like Grambo"
“Our Daughter Would Not Cooperate For Her Photos. She Was Doing Everything But Smiling. Here She Is 'Hulking Out'"
“My Husband And I Decided To Compile Childhood Pictures For A Slideshow To Have At Our Wedding Reception And When Going Through His Stack Of Photos, Nothing Could Have Prepared Me For This Gem"
"And to my surprise, he thought it was an awesome picture and wondered why I was laughing so hard.”
"I Really Love Those Quirky Space-Themed Family Photos. My Dog Max Was Less Than Cooperative, But We Managed To Snag This Wondrous Beauty."
"My Dad And His Beloved Pet Duck. 1994"
"This Is A Picture Of My Husband From Elementary School. His Friends Have Dubbed Him #childdwight."
“My Dad Took Me To The Mall To Get Glamour Shots Done For My Tenth Birthday. I Was So Excited, This Was Everything To Me. I Turned Out To Look Like A 40-Something Real Estate Agent, And A Possible Delta Burke Twin. Designing Women, Here I Come.”
"My Mom Said This Was One Of My Favorite Things To Do As A Child."
“‘I Didn’t Ask For This,’ Said Our Very Stubborn 2.5 Year Old. He Had The Same Expression In Every Photo From The Session”
"I Turned 31 In January And This School Photo Is Still The Most Professional Photo I Have Of Myself."
“That’s Me In The Background Unsuccessfully Trying To Get A Kite To Stay Airborne. Photo Was Taken By A Long-Time Friend Who Finds It An Effective Blackmail Tool”
“My 1981 High School Yearbook Photo With Perm And Spiderman Glasses"
“We Were Doing Family Photos For My Sister’s Bat Mitzvah. The Photographer Told Us To Make Funny Faces But My Mom Took It To The Next Level…”
“My High School Senior Photo Has Tortured Me For Years And Now I’m Owning The Embarrassment”
Own it girl!!!!! I would DIE if o was allowed a cat in my senior photo!!
"Yes This Is Really Our 1994 Family Photo."
“My Daughter And I Had Been Holding Hands And She Was Leaning Away From Me And Our Photographer Caught The Perfect Moment. So The Rest Of Us Are Looking Fabulous While My 2 Year Old Is Crashing Into The Pavement.” … And Later That Day. Seriously
"I Was Shooting Family Pics When This Local Obliviously Walked Into Frame." @studio1208
As my co-worker would say, he's a peepee do. 'Cas his stomach hangs lower than his peepee do.
"Here's A Photo Of My Old Man Putting Out The Vibe With His 'Stache. According To Him, This Image Dates Back To August Of 1990. Roughly 9 Months Before I Was Born"
"A Very Short-Lived Photo Studio Opened At The Mall Near Our House"
"My brother and I begged for months to get our family photo taken there. Finally, our parents relented and our family spent a glorious evening trying a variety of poses and costumes before selecting this gem. The real highlight came with people’s reactions to the photo after we had it framed and placed over the fireplace. Because this was before the advent of Photoshop, a lot of people ACTUALLY BELIEVED THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED… even one of my brother’s girlfriends.”
"My Parents Wedding Day, 1980s"
"My Aunt Casually Told Me That She Once Found A Ton Of Skeletons In Her Garden."
"And when you're a little older, if you ask real nice, I might tell you how they got there."
This Is The Photo My Grandmother Sent Out As Her Xmas Card In The Early 70s"
"She didn’t like my Dad’s not-smiling face so she cut out one from a different picture, pasted it in place and sent it to the printers. Note the glue on my dad’s face where grandma had attempted to affix the smiling face before it shifted during printing completely unintentionally. Still one of the funniest things ever sent to more than 200 friends and family.”
“Not Sure What Grandma And Her Friend Were Up To”
They look like some of the grandmas from the secret meeting earlier. This is obviously what they were discussing.
"At The Mall. I Wanted To Be Dressed Right, In Case I Saw Girls From My School"
“My Mom Had A Free Session At Olan Mills And She Said If I Went With Her, I Could Wear Whatever I Wanted And I Could ‘Ratt’ My Hair”
"My Dad, The Morning After Finding Out My Mom Was Pregnant With My Brother. 1982."
"My Dad Learned How To Use Photoshop."
“On My Daughter’s First Day School, Our Feisty Labradoodle Wanted To Be A Part Of The Action”
"Looking Through Old Photos Of Me To Use For A Slideshow At My Wedding And Came Across This One Of My 7th Birthday. I Don’t Know Why This Is Happening"
"Are We Bad Parents?"
“In Yugoslavia We Had Very Scary Santas In The 1980s”
"My Friend's Grandmother Went White Water Rafting..."
“For My Daughter’s 12th Birthday Party, We Made Masks Of Her Obsession, George Michael, For All Of The Little Girls. Didn’t Realize How Scary It Would Look When They Pulled Them All On At The Same Time.”
"My Parents Had The Best Glamour Shots Of 1993"
"My Grandparents' First Time At A Japanese Restaurant."
“This Is A Photo Of Me. And People Wonder Why I Am Afraid Of Dolls. Thank You, Mom And Dad”
“My Husband Spent A Good Amount Of His Childhood Years (Early To Mid 1980s) In A Children’s Hospital Where Well-Meaning Samaritans Would Go To Spread Joy And Lift Spirits.”
“My Wife Was The Flower Girl For Her Cousin’s Wedding And Decided To Slide Down The Railing While The Bird Seed Was Flying After The Happy Couple Was Married. This Was The Result”
"When You Have Candles, But Not The 'Right' Ones For Your Wife's 39th Birthday"
“My Sister (The Legs In The Picture) And I (The Face) Were Taking Dance Pictures And The Photographer Wanted Us To Strike Our Favorite Pose. Needless To Say, We Came Home With An Entertaining Conversation Piece!”
“The Whole Family Seems To Be So Content As I Choke Off To The Side… This Is The Epitome Of My Life. No Big Deal. I Am Alive And Well Now – No Thanks To Any Of My Relatives :)”
“He Always Posed For Photos In The Past. Maybe He Didn’t Like The Photographer.”
"That Time I Went To School As Humpty Dumpty For Nursery Rhyme Day, But Ended The Day Like This"
"Weird Al And My Mom, In A Hotel In 1985"
“Our Kids Had Experimented With A Few Different Balancing Acts And By The Time I Got My Camera Figured Out, Our Son Had Found A New Perch”
“My Mother And Father’s Wedding Portrait. The Photographer Got A Little Creative, Which Is Why They Look Like They’re Marrying A Ghost.”
What happened to till death do we part? This ghost is clearly not parting at death.
My Dad, Who Is Very Much Still Alive, Insisted On Having A Small Ceremony At The Place His Ashes Will Eventually Be Buried"
"He brought an urn and asked that we look at the urn with a somber expression while he hid behind us (that's him smiling behind my brother). This is the happiest my brother and I have ever seen him. He refuses to celebrate his birthday but apparently jumps at the chance to throw himself a funeral."
“This Was Taken Easter Morning In 1986"
"That’s me and my little sister (14 years younger than me) and I had come home from college for the weekend and must have been out the night before. I obviously wasn’t too happy about having to wake up early for Easter festivities. I think when my Mom took this picture, she was just happy to have her son home from college to help celebrate the holiday”
Oh, I can't decide. Which is worse: nearly naked guy on the couch or what that poor child is wearing?
“I Was About Seven Years Old When My Favorite Betta Fish Died. I Was So Devastated That I Insisted On Hosting A Full Blown Funeral For It. We Dressed In All Black And Even Said Nice Words. My Mom Took This Photo In Our Back Yard Before We Buried It. My Older Sister Is Trying Her Hardest Not To Laugh While I Stood There Holding My Dead Fish On A Paper Plate."
“One Pet Turned Into 14 Quickly. They’re Very Well Behaved, Which Is Our Saving Grace.”
I'm shocked this could happen. I have 2 dogs that can't be in the same frame without excessive force
“My Friend Mike’s Rock Star Mullet When He Was Two Years Old In 1989 In Fairbanks, Alaska. I Think It’s One Of The Best Photos On Earth. @csteltzy
“My Mom Attempted The Barbie Cake For My 8th Birthday. A Neighbor Gave Her General Instructions, And My Brother And Best Friend Were Confused With The Results”
"Grandma Fell Asleep When The Tide Came In..."
“Thirteen Of Grandma’s Grandchildren Were In The House For A Couple Days Around Christmas-Time. She Was Pretty Exhausted.”
“My Son Really Loves Vacuums. Reeeeeeeally Loves Them"
"On preschool picture day, he was so miserable, and was offered the preschool’s vacuum cleaner to play with to cheer him up before his photo. When I picked him up, I was told that I “might see a bit of the vacuum in the photo.”
My son was obsessed with vacuums as a kid too.. he had a book of them lol
"My Wife And I Went To A Child's Birthday Party. The Theme Was Unicorns."
“My 2001 School Photo. In Order To Perfect This Aesthetic Masterpiece, I Put A Massive Amount Of Gel In My Wet Hair, Then I Bent Over And Swung My Hair Around And Blow Dried It Upside Down Until The Gel Hardened Completely… I Got A Little Lightheaded Each Time, But Clearly Worth It!” @sarawunschmusic
“This Photo Of My Family Was Taken As A Christmas Picture In Late 1989, After My Younger Sister (The “Pearl”) Was Born.”
"My Grandma Has A Spatula She Uses To Move Around Completed Sections Of Her Puzzle"
That's a great idea!!!' Sharing with my mom. My dad's cat loves the knock the pieces off and then Mom's dog eats them. The spatula can do double duty to keep them away!! Haha
"For Some Reason My Great Great Grandmother's Nursing Home Was Visited By Playboy Bunnies In The 80s. She (Red) Is Clearly Having None Of It."
"A Fly Landed On My Friend's Face As Soon As The Dmv Took His Picture For His Driver's License."
“This Is The Way My Mother Found My Sister Sleeping. In Her Pajamas She Has A Puppet, A Stuffed Monkey, A Stuffed Seal, Two Blankets, And A Watch.”
"My Dad Wanted To Take A Nice Picture With A Waterfall In Yosemite."
“Grandma Hazel’s Dolls Would Come To Life While I Slept”
"Very Young Me. Very Young Dad In Very Short Bibs. 80s"
Haha we just donated my dad's old clothes and there we many pairs of jorts in those bags 😂 God do I miss him
"The Store In My New Town Has A Specific Aisle Where You Can Meet Up With Your Spouse If You Get Separated."
"One Of My Kindergartner's Assignment On Triangles"
“During Our ‘Perfect’ Beach Photo Shoot, My Oldest Son Jumped On My Back, Propelling My Infant Son Out Of My Arms (As My Middle Son Looked On In Amusement). My Infant Son Was Not Harmed, Just Wet And Scared But Mommy Is Forever Traumatized.”
"I Got E Coli Poisoning While We Were On A Camping Trip And My Dad Thought He Should Take A Photo Of It"
“Took My 3rd Son To A Photographer For His Baptism And They Went A Little Over The Top With The Green Screen Backgrounds.”
"11th Grade, 1996. My Hair Was 2 Feet Taller Than What Would Fit In The Photo"
“Me, Shortly After Delivering My Twins And With Horrible Nausea And Vomiting From The Anesthesia And My Husband Thought It Was The Perfect Time For A Photo”
“I Distinctly Remember The Envy I Felt When The Family Photographer Suggested A Solo Series Of My Sister Doing The Splits And Playing The Flute, Neither Of Which I Could Do. I Did Have A Matching American Flag Sailor Outfit, However.”
She got some talent right there! Upcoming contortionist with live music!
"My 3 Year Old Was Angry Because The Beavers Keep Chomping On The Tree"
"My Mom’s 1976 Halloween Costume Sure Was Classy."
"My Daughter Might Be A Bit Accident-Prone."
"Oct 1984: My Dad Consoling My Nana After My Parents Wedding Because She Wasn't A Fan Of My Mom"
"My Cousin Eating Mcdonalds In 1979"
"My Brother's Card From My 5 Year Old Niece. His Name Is Kurt..."
Considering she can spell words like "birthday" I reckon Renee!* knew exactly what she was doing.
“My Sister And My Parents Sporting Their Australia, Gold Coast 1982 Fashion”
"My Mom's Bed Hung From Chains, And She Had A Mini Bar For A Headboard. 1972."
“My Sister Was In Hard Labor For Over 24 Hours. I Just Found Out She Was Getting Ready To Have A C Section. So I Was On The Horn Letting Everyone Know I Was Able To Go In And Watch.”
“Glamor Shots Came To Ridgecrest California Whem My Brother And I Were 9 & 10 So My Mom Brought Us For A Session!” @rissa_anne03
“My Mother Had These Shirts Made For A ‘Professional’ Photoshoot”
"A Friend Bought A New House And When A Cable Technician Went Into The Crawlspace They Found This Shrine To Nicholas Cage Complete With Candles, Goblet, Kneeling Rug And Lockbox Of Movie Paraphernalia."
"My Dad Was Gonna Go For A Run. He Laid Down To Stretch His Back. Found Him Asleep 30 Minutes Later"
“I Think My Family Might Have Liked Seinfeld.”
"My Brother And I Used To Call This 'Splash Mountain.'"
“That Time In Africa During The Early 80’s When We Jeeped For Like 6 Dusty, Thirsty Hours To Behold This… Giant Rock Butthole?”
I thought it was like one of those cave drawings depicting the fact that a giant fly monster was gonna end the world or something
“Senior Pictures With My Troll Doll Collection, Circa 1993”
“This Is A Photo Of My Ma And Pop Out On A Date In The ’80s. My Mom Must Have Followed The Instructions On My Father’s Shirt, Because 9 Months Later I Was Born!”
What the hell was he thinking??! Dad didn't want to let her out of the house I bet
"My Daughter And All Her Friends Think Coca Cola Is The Best Soda And She Wanted To Make A Cake And Send The Photo To Her Friends But She Couldn’t Fit 'Coca Cola' So She Shortened It."
“This Picture Was Taken Very Shortly After Our Son Was Born. My Father-In-Law Wanted To Capture The Beautiful Moment And Get A Nice Family Photo. But After Over 24 Hours Of Labor, This Is What You Get. My Husband Looks Pretty Rested Though, So That’s Cool.”
“My Husband On The Couch Of A House We Rented In St John.”
"My Wife Is Back In The Office And Clearly Thinks I'm An Idiot."
OMG! Those are hilarious! I'm wiping tears! My husband is looking at like I'm a mad woman cuz of the uncontrollable laughter!
OMG! Those are hilarious! I'm wiping tears! My husband is looking at like I'm a mad woman cuz of the uncontrollable laughter!
