A Page Is Turned: Family Photos Prep.

We had family pictures made for Christmas cards recently and I thought I'd share how we prepare for having family pictures made. Visions of Christmas cards are swirling around in my head and I know that some of you are starting to think about picking them out as well!

1. Pick a photographer whose work you like. I know this seems like a no-brainer, but no two photographers are the same. If you have an idea of what you'd like your photos to look like, you need to shop around for someone whose artistic vision is similar to yours. Make sure you look at lots of their photographs so that you get an idea of their style, the way the colors look, etc. I always ask my friends for recommendations and go from their.

2. Choose clothes for your family that compliment one another. This is definitely another no-brainer. This year we went with reds and blacks. Last year the boys in my family wore navy patterns and I wore purple. I like to mix and match patterns with complimentary colors. Eddie went with a solid black polo this year, I wore black and cream stripes, and the boys both wore the black and red plaid shirts in the picture below.

3. Early-mid morning and late afternoon are your best times for pictures. Do not sign up for pictures during the middle of the day. The lighting isn't pretty and you'll wind up with less-than-stellar photos. Our last session was scheduled for 9AM. I am not a morning person, but we were up and going and ready to meet the photographer by then. Make sure everyone eats breakfast or has a snack before hand and if you have little ones you can always use treats as bribery. Not that I would know about that...my children are always perfect. ;)

4. Don't get stressed out! If you're constantly redirecting your children, you're going to look stressed out in your pictures. I can almost guarantee that your kids aren't going to cooperate the whole time. If they're like mine, they'll get distracted and look around, not smile, maybe throw themselves on the ground and pout. :) If you're constantly looking at them and reminding them to "Smile!" you're not looking at the camera! Focus on smiling and looking calm, cool, and collected and let the photographer redirect your kids. Chances are, they'll be quicker to obey someone else anyway!

5. Pick your cards! I know I've sung their praises before, but I'm definitely going to be singing them again. I'm going with Tiny Prints again this year for Christmas Cards because I love them so much! Their website has made ordering Christmas Cards SO easy! Choose the number of photos on the front, photo orientation (this is AWESOME to me...eliminate those that you can't use right away!), themes, formats, and sizes and you're left with plenty of fabulous options that will work for YOU! I haven't gotten our photos back yet, but I have a few picked out that are my favorites.