Family Portraits – A Yearly Tradition

Why we take family pictures every year . . . and you should too!

From the moment you find out you’re pregnant, you begin to look forward to all the new family traditions you will have. Trick or treating, hay rides, parades, 4th of July fireworks, picnics, the list goes on and on. One thing my husband and I knew we wanted to make a yearly tradition was family portraits. Not just pictures of the kids but of all of us as an entire family.

I got the idea for this post from one of my BFFs Carrie. Carrie is a professional photographer and owns her own portrait studio. On her blog earlier this summer she posted an entry that was near and dear to my heart. Moms often put off or remove themselves from family photos because of being self-conscious.

Read more:

• Check out her work here. She is amazing
• Get in the pictures Moms!!

5 Reasons Why Family Pictures Are Important!

1. Being a family is more beautiful than any of your insecurities.

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Believe me I am the queen of being self-conscious. I don’t particularly enjoy having my pictures taken, and I tend to be overly critical of all photos of me. My face is either too fat or I look too pale or I look super tired. Despite all the self-doubt, we get our family pictures professionally done every year since Harley was born.

Because the four of us as a family, being together and capturing this moment, is more important and precious than any insecurity I have about my body, face, clothing, or hair.

2. Booking a session with a photographer MAKES sure the pictures get taken.

In 2012, Harley was a flower girl in 2 different weddings, one with Bear, so we planned on someone just snapping a pic at one of the weddings. Naturally, during the hustle and craziness of a wedding day, we forgot to take a picture! This goes to show the importance of making it a priority to take the photos.

Because you value what you pay for, making the appointment and paying the photographer puts the family portrait session high on the list of to-dos because you are invested in it!

3. Family pictures don’t have to cost a fortune.

I know what you are thinking, “professional photos are so expensive. I can’t afford to get them done every year!” I get it, really I do. Some professional portraits are ridiculously expensive but others are totally reasonable.

So set a budget and ask around! Ask your friends who they use, ask in a local Facebook group for a professional but reasonable photographer. Trust me. Other moms know these things. Some photographers do mini sessions where you can get a family session done at a very reasonable price.

Dig Deeper:

• How to Style Family Portraits
• Beginner’s Guide to Budgeting

4. Photos capture the moment.

I really think families need photos together. You will cherish the photos. Katie Thurmes once said “We take photographs as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.” Your kids are only this age once. You have this moment to capture them at five years old. The photos and memories make while taking the photos will last a life time.

5. Celebrate your marriage.

Marriage is hard and we often don’t give ourselves credit. Nurturing a relationship after years, and kids, and stress is something that should be celebrated!! It’s why I love so much that Carrie makes sure to grab pictures of just the 2 of us.

I love capturing photos with my husband. We thrive as a family by working together. One day when we are old and gray we can show our grandchildren how young and gorgeous we used to look.

Many thanks to Geno Photography for all the amazing photos. I hope you all enjoy them. And make sure you go check out all her gorgeous work at GenoPhotography.com