Family Portraits a Waste of Your Time?
Do you get your family picture taken professionally every year? We don’t. We tend to go to churches that have a church directory. We’ll get it every couple of years, when we go for that. Other than that, we tend to do it at Easter, when we’re all dressed up nicely. Last year we had a fun photo shoot with our new camera, however, we didn’t get any with all of us together. Here’s some of our pictures that we came away with. I was about 7 months pregnant.
Well, this was the year of the church directory and I agreed that it would be good to have a picture taken of our whole family. The last one we had taken was 2 kids ago! I spent the good part of an afternoon making sure everyone looked presentable. We had recently been sick, so I was very tempted to cancel our appointment, not knowing how everyone was going to fair. I finally decided I could do this. Everyone was behaving well and feeling pretty good.
WHAT A MISTAKE! I left the church that evening, feeling that I totally wasted my whole afternoon of getting kids to look just right. Yes, we did get a picture, but they did not get one picture that at least one of us was not closing our eyes or making a strange face. The bad thing about that? The photographer knew that…..and went with it anyway. He would tell us when someone would close their eyes. We thought he was taking another to get a better one, but no such luck, just more of the same. The picture we finally ended up with, was this one:
Everyone looks good, but my 3 year old. She was the one who had been sick and she was not up to some strange man trying to talk to her and get her to smile! Especially one that none of us could understand because of his thick accent! LOL We decided we’d definitely have to try this again, with our own camera. I think I’d like to get some outside shots this time. She’s much too cute to not have a decent family picture of her in it. Besides, she’s one of the ones that was missing from our last family photo!
That got me thinking though. I know we have a large family of 8 people and I know there’s always someone who blinks or someone who does something crazy in the picture, but there’s got to be a way to get everyone looking pretty good, right?
Here’s some ideas to get you (and me!) headed into the right direction:
- Make sure everyone is well fed before you leave. A hungry child makes for a grumpy child!
- Make sure everyone uses the bathroom before you leave, too! No need for a potty break in the middle of a photo shoot!
- To avoid blinking, have everyone close their eyes, count to three and have then open their eyes and smile at the same time. Of course, that may not work for the littlest ones (like mine), but if you have some cooperative children, it could work!
- If you’re taking your own photos, take lots of the same pose, one extra click on the camera could’ve been that perfect shot! Now that we’re in the digital age, you can just delete what you don’t want.
- If your photo is going to be outside, avoid the brightest time, from 11 to 3.
- Don’t tell the photographer that you’re not getting individual pictures of each kid (if you’re in a studio type setting where they have a certain quota they must get before they let you go). We did that, and I think that’s when he decided not to try. We would have bought something had it been good enough, but we were definitely not impressed!
- Don’t wear clashing colors, but don’t worry about everyone being in matching shirts either. Pick colors that work well with each other.
I’m hoping our next family portrait proves to be a little better! At least no one frowning and making a face at the photographer!
Do you have any tips to add to the list?
For more information:
Check out this site, that shares more about posing for a family and what to think about when hiring a photographer. How to Prepare for Fabulous Family Pictures
If you’re interested in learning more about digital photography, Digital Photography School has some great tips and tutorials! I think I need to read their whole site!
I'm reading the replies with great interest! I have been trying to get a family photo of my 7 kids for the past year! we managed to get a few on my camera using the timer, but it wasn't easy. Plus my youngest has autism and rarely cooperates, much less looks at the camera. We have decided that a photo with him looking at the camera and smiling is just not going to happen!
What I’ve done on quite a few occasions, is take the picture that you have there, scan it into the computer, and photo shop a different face on your daughter. Then you can print it again. No one has ever been able to tell and I’ve even switched an entire head!
Good idea! I haven't had success yet with making it look quite right, but I may have to try again. I don't have photoshop though, maybe that's the problem.
Being a mother to 7 and a photographer I understand! I definitely think family photos are worth all the hassle. I would suggest hiring a photographer who does custom lifestyle type work or getting a friend who is good with a camera to do your family photos. When working with families I find real life interaction and fun gives the greatest pictures and really captures the personality of the individual's and family. That is what you want to capture, life as you know it not a neatly posed, group flashing the cheese smile at the camera. Lifestyle photography is much harder to capture of your own family when you are using a timer/remote and tripod, but if hiring someone is not an option then you can always try it. What I normally do is get a shot of my kids together and then set the camera up amd have an older child photographer my husband and I. I then create a collage.
Thanks for the great tips Christi! I have a photographer friend who offered to help us out after I posted this! We just need to find a time that will work for all of us now.