Hellobee

Not all families do an annual family picture, but it is something that I always plan into our schedule. To be honest I have a bit of a love hate relationship with them. I love the end result. I love going back and seeing how our family has changed over the years. I love actually having pictures with all of us together because very often I am behind the camera and missing from photographs. With that being said, I hate planning outfits. I hate trying to get all my family out of the house presentable and happy because inevitably one or more of my children will drive me to insanity. Then I have to survive the actual photo shoot, and let me tell you getting four kids and a husband to behave for shoot is no easy feat.  So here are my tips.

THE CLOTHES

The stress of picking out clothing builds up in me as we get closer and closer to pictures day. I am not a very fashionable person. I wear nerdy science themed skirts every day and on the weekends I am usually in jeans and a t shirt. In fact I know very little about what is in fashion, what goes nicely together or what would look horrible.

I usually start out in a department store. Then I think about that scene in A Devil Wears Prada where Anne Hathaway laughs at everyone deciding between 2 belts, and then Meryl Streep launches into an explanation about how the fashion industry works.

“You go to your closet and you select… I don’t know… that lumpy blue sweater, for instance because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis. It’s actually cerulean. And you’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent… wasn’t it who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.”

I walk around aimlessly looking for my Cerulean sweater that someone somewhere picked out to be in style months ago. That’s what I need, otherwise I would be a complete mess. It’s why I go to a department store. A lot of times their lines in their various sections coordinate with each other based on the colors that are on trend for the season. If I can look at a mannequin and see it wearing a color combination that I may not have put together on my own, it helps me figure out what I could put together when trying to coordinate 6 different outfits.

I start with me. I am the most difficult to dress. It is not because I am picky about clothing, it is because I am hyper critical of myself in photographs. That means I need to be extremely happy with and feel beautiful in what I am wearing or I won’t care for the pictures. It seems a bit vain, I know, and I wish I wasn’t that way, but I often don’t feel comfortable in my own skin and I think my lack of confidence shows in pictures. I would rather go unnoticed than stand out in a crowd and I can tell in pictures if I was worried about what I was wearing.

Then I move onto my daughter.  She is picky about the textures in her clothing; only soft materials for her. If I go near her with a pair of jeans or anything with tulle on it she reacts like a vampire to sunlight. I’m not joking — she screams like she is getting third degree burns if anything rough touches her skin. So I have to find something for her that coordinates or compliments whatever I found for me in a soft texture. For both of us I try not to get anything too frilly or super girly. For one, it is not really our style, and two I don’t want to look like two girls getting ready to go to a ball while our boys are more causal.

Once the two girls of the family are set, it is on to the boys both big and small. My boys are not very picky as long as the clothing is comfortable. The days of dressing them up in fancy holiday outfits are over. I do get them a new shirt usually because everything they own is stained in some way or has a corny cartoon picture on it. I look for coordinating but not matching shirts that are comfortable and versatile for everyday wear. I hate spending money on clothes that they wear once and never touch again. My husband is very easy and will wear whatever I get for him. I usually go with a nice sweater and more often than not he can use one he already has.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

I consider myself a lucky person. I love my friend and photographer who has taken our pictures for the last three years.  Not everyone knows an awesome family photographer. So here are the things that I love about her and what I would look for in a photographer

I only need a mini session. Many photographers offer these, especially around the holidays. I only really need one great family pose and a good shot of each kid. If I get those things, I will consider it a great shoot. If the photographer is good, they can get us lined up, snap a few pictures, and get some great shots in just a few minutes. My kids won’t last through hours of photos and multiple outfit changes. I have been told that there are some kids who would behave through that, but they are not mine. Knowing that, I don’t need to spend the extra money on time when my kids will not be cooperative.

The photographer should have experience with families and young kids. Someone who takes lovely wedding photographs may not necessarily be great at working with kids and getting those natural looking smiles to come out.  Since our photographer knows us and she knows my kids, she knows all she has to do is say the word fart and my kids will laugh hysterically.

It is important to me that prints or the digital copies are not out of my price range. Look ahead of time at all the print costs because it can add up quick when you are buying pictures for grandparents and aunts and uncles. Most photographers have a better printing company than the one hour stuff at Walgreens or Costco so if your package includes your digital photos, ask where they would recommend having them printed.

PICKING A TIME AND DATE

Life has become extremely busy for us. Between basketball, boy scouts, school and things we want to do as a family, it seems like every minute is jam packed with activities. It makes it really hard to pick a good time. I first start by asking the photographer if mornings are good for whatever location we are going to. Mornings are always best for us as a family. I have early risers who only start to fade as the days goes on. My husband is not an early riser, but as long as I plan on getting the kids ready and having his coffee ready, then there will be peace in our marriage. The perfect time for me is around 9 or 9:30. It is not so early that we are running around like crazy in the morning, but it’s before anyone starts getting hungry for a morning snack.

I try not to pick a busy day so we are not rushed, but this year that was a fail. We had our pictures, then a birthday party then the boys played a double header basketball game. Not my best planning but we were squeezing it in. Luckily the photos were first. If we had that crazy day but the photos were in the afternoon, I’m sure there would be many tears including my own during the shoot. It’s important for everyone’s sanity to pick a time or a day where your kids have the best chance of being in a good mood. Obviously that is still not a guarantee, but a little consideration of your normal daily schedule can help a lot.

Then once all that is in place it is go time. Next time I will write about how I survive the stress of picture day. Especially when the kids don’t cooperate.

All photos are by Allison Laura Photography