Monday, October 22, 2012

Picture Perfect

This weekend we had our annual family pictures. Oh, joy!

What I mean by "oh, joy" is that after all the magic happens, thanks to my photographer friend, Melanie, it's worth all the chaos and hair pulling that takes place beforehand.

Family picture day is definitely NOT marked on my calendar with a smiley face. It is straight up STRESSFUL...coordinating outfits, hoping the kids are in a good mood, praying it doesn't rain and tons and tons of candy bribing! It quite honestly sucks! Well, at least during those 30-45 minutes.

Then after it's all said and done you get something spectacular like this...   


But, you have to go through 101 of the below for every ONE magical moment...

EXHIBIT A 
(Devil Face)

EXHIBIT B 
(Rock throwing, could care less)

EXHIBIT C  
(Wiping off dirty booties)

So, just remember when you get "that" holiday card this year and you want to roll your eyes about what a fantastical family picture your friend/family sent you, know that they worked hard for it and that they're not THAT perfect!

Tips for Family Portraits:
  • Start shopping for outfits at least 2 weeks in advance. Think layers (jackets, scarves, hats) and remember to NOT be matchy match!
  • Try on all your outfits and stand in the mirror together. I know. It's dorky, but you need to make sure everything fits and it all coordinates how you imagined it. 
  • Pin ideas from Pinterest or do some Google searches.
  • Don't be afraid to let your photgrapher know what shots you want captured.
  • If you have young kids, bring suckers and candy to bribe them. I swear it works!
  • Women, wear more make-up than usual, especially more blush and lip color. Define your eyebrows!
  • Take your pictures first thing in the morning or right at dusk.

To everyone prepping for holiday portraits, just kick up your boots and roll with it. I know, it's easier said than done.

Photos courtesy of Melanie Wright Photography, an Austin based photographer and my sorority sister.

Who else out there gets stressed about "photo" day? It takes lots of preparation. 
Am I right or am I right?

Make sure to check out the October Group Giveaway. Nine bloggers. Nine prizes. Nine winners!

I am linking up with: Leeann, Dana and Sami for the Weekend Update. 
Molly for YOLO Mondays.
Go visit them! 
 
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72 comments:

Helene said...

I think the pictures turned out great. Love the outfits chosen!

Brooke said...

Sweet pictures! I love that you do annual picture shoots! That is a great idea for your Holiday cards! How fun!


=)


Brooke

Anonymous said...

Beautiful family! That last one with the boots is so adorable. You chose great outfits for everyone!

Brianna Tucker said...

great pictures. Family pictures are so stressful. We are doing ours in a few weeks with my side of the famiy and the hubs! That is 6 ppl and man its going to be an interesting time!
brianna
adventuresofthesouthernwife.blogspot.com

FitTravelerAJ said...

GREAT pictures! Even the outtakes are cute! For some reason, I love the last one. Idk if its the black and white or if its the boots, but its so cute. Your family is beautiful!!

-AJ
FitTravelerAJ.blogspot.com

Karen said...

You have a beautiful family!

Annie said...

How gorgeous is your family?! Love these shots Shanna, and that last one of all the boots is too cute...the day might have been stressful, but definitely worth it :)

Annie
The Other Side of Gray

Danavee said...

I LOVE IT! Even the candid shots. And Esp the black and white!

Anonymous said...

I love that you're all wearing white, blue and red but quite differently. You have a lovely family, hair pulling aside LOL We don't have this tradition where I live but it sure looks like a nice one to adopt. It must be great to have one each year and after some time have several to compare xx

Katie @ My Darling Days said...

These are ridiculously adorable, and your outfit could not be more perfect. Your card is gonna turn out great! What a beautiful fam!

Katie said...

i'm glad you posted those other ones too. ;) the ones with the boots is my favorite - you guys are adorable!

Heidi said...

Lovely photos! I'm starting to shoot more family sessions and I need to remember to bring candy or something to bribe kids with me! This weekend I resorted to throwing sticks up in the air and balancing a few on my head to entertain an 18 month old!

Unknown said...

You guys are so adorable!! That first one came out great. And I love that you included the bloopers in this post... because Lord knows there are always plenty of those :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tips, girl! We have our very first Christmas pics in 3 weeks. Wish us luck!

Becky M.

Andrea said...

I love, love, love your family pictures! They turned out beautifully! I can't imagine the stress of putting it all together but it was SO worth the fight and struggle :)

Melody said...

All of the craziness is def. worth it! The photos are beautiful!

Cramer Coffee and Jesus said...

oh I love these! and hey, if all else fails, chop everyone's head off and you've still got a super cute picture! haha.

The Mrs. and The Momma said...

Um, well it looks like you and I were doing the same thing over the weekend. Family pictures suck. It's wonderful when you get a great one, as it looks like you did....but the prep and stress just plain suck! Kuddos to you for getting in them....I just take them of my kids because chances are, the stars would have to be perfectly aligned for our family of 6 to all being looking at the camera AND smiling! Love the pics!

Amy Shaughnessy said...

The last picture is my favorite. What a fun shot! We haven't done any family pictures... ever. We need to this year!

Amy


Fashion and Beauty Finds

Fleeting is Final said...

Caaaauuuuuute. I love the outfits you picked out.

Unknown said...

they turned out so cute!! great family photos!

Niki {Glossy Blonde} said...

What a beautiful family!!! Your outtakes are too funny. I love the one with the kids in the background on the railroad tracks - rock throwing and all!

Debra Green said...

They turned out great, as usual!! :) thanks for the tips..you know I've been stressing for weeks over mine and I still have 2 more weeks....sigh!

Girls Love Fried Pickles said...

Beautiful! Hug them tight.

jeands said...

the pictures are great. I must agree with you photo shoot is so stressful especially with kids.

Sylvia said...

Love your photos! They are so sweet :) Denim and plaid is so perfect!

Sarah said...

You guys are adorable!! Most stylish Christmas cards on the block!!

Always Maylee said...

Haha, omg the devil face picture is just priceless! LOVE your outfits, so so cute. And the last picture is pretty awesome. I hope that is a framer! The first one is gorgeous, love it Shanna! :)

xo, Yi-chia
Always Maylee

Sandra said...

What a beautiful family! Great photos!

Stesha said...

This gave me the giggles! Yes family portraits are stressful, for the photographer as well! I did a session yesterday, the little girls were adorable for about 20 mins, and then the jealousy kicked in and the pouting, and the rock throwing. All in all family photos are a day to remember!! YOu look like one HOT MAMA!!!

xxS

Ruthie Hart said...

ummm models?! I love your color combos!!!!

meghan said...

These pictures turned out so nicely! I love the color coordination! I would imagine it must be so stressful.

Emily said...

What a fun idea for pictures! I LOVE them. what a beautiful family you have.

creamyclothes.blogspot.com

Jamie said...

Aw the pictures turned out great! Love the one with all your cowboy boots! Thanks for posting the outtakes too, haha so funny!

Where did you get that cute shirt dress?

Sami said...

You guys are all so darn cute! These are awesome, especially the last one with the boots! Such a precious family Shanna :)

#mommylife said...

i love your pics! Especially that last one of all your feet..too cute!

The Millers said...

These photos turned out fabulous!! I am in love with the one with all the boots! I love the outfits you chose, that is always so stressful for me and it is only me and my husband!

http://sjdmiller.blogspot.com

Darby Hawley said...

Wow gorgeous family!!! Thanks for the photo tips!

Ashley said...

The "bloopers" are always my favorite. Good grief you have a gorgeous family!

J and A said...

Love the outfits you chose! Beautiful family!!

Jeans and a Teacup said...

Awww...what a cute family!
~Jessica
http://jeansandateacup.blogspot.com/

JMc said...

Beautiful family pic! I am super stressing! I let our family pictures sneak up on us. They are tomorrow and I have NO idea what we are wearing, omg. I am actually thinking about cancelling the appointment and this photographer is booked for the rest of the year :(

Amy Powell said...

oh that's fun! We're taking family pics in a few weekends & I'm really excited about it!

xoxo, Amy @ Interpret As You May

TheTinyHeart said...

These came out gorgeous, Shanna! I LOVE your coordinating outfits and cowboy boots. Your girls are like your little me's, it is too cute!

-Sharon
The Tiny Heart
1000 Followers Giveaway Extravaganza!

Meg O. said...

I need to convince my husband to do a Christmas photo shoot but he is just horrible with pictures!! You guys look great. The outtakes are precious, too :)

Lindsay said...

Love these pictures! Even the ones you think didn't turn out good! Love all the outfits, but especially yours!!! xoxo

Makaila said...

girl, these are FANTASTIC!!! I am muy impressed!! It IS so much work to coordinate a great shoot like this. You did an amazing job!!

Alyssa @ Sweet Shangrila said...

These are SO cute. I love the cowboy boots!! Great shots :)

Lindsay said...

I personally love the rock throwing photo. It's perfectly real and I love that! And the last photo is so, so fun. I have yet to do this with a child who has a mind of their own and am definitely NOT looking forward to it!

The Pink Growl said...

I love those candid shots - those are always so funny! That last one is PERFECT! I heart it!

Lacey S said...

Picture day is always so stressful. My kids are getting to the age where they aren't interested in hamming it up for the camera anymore - my husband has looks to kill when the camera is whipped out. Apparently I'm the only one who likes the attention lol.

Your pictures look beautiful - I bet y'all got a ton of great shots!!

Anonymous said...

The last picture is so cute!

Unknown said...

Your family photos look great!

www.daisyraeboutique.com
www.kacieskloset.blogspot.com

Ana said...

We have our family photos this coming weekend and I am really stressed out about them. I thought I had everything and turns out none of the kids have brown shoes and black will clash! Two years ago, I forgot we had "picture day" and we missed it. I ended up using a candid photo and it's still my favorite. I hope I don't forget again on Sunday. :(

Thanks for your tips! Your have a beautiful family and everyone looks fantastic!

Just What Jess is Up to said...

I absolutely adore the picture of all of your waists down...you all have such cute boots/shoes on and it is just is so CUTE!

Tiffany said...

Very well done with the styling, naturally! They look amazing, with the exception of the hilarious devil face. Such a cute family :)

Caitlin C. said...

These turned out SO GREAT!!! I love love the outfits and the setting! Aww you will love these for years to come.

tara said...

omg. yall are the most precious little family!! love these!

Head to Toe Chic said...

What a beautiful family!!!! I love that your outfits go together but they aren't matchy matchy. Can't wait to see the rest of the pictures :)

xo,
Angela

Sheree said...

That last photo is GREAT!
I always take my own photos of our kids we still have yet to get family shots! I can't even imagine..my daughter would be a nightmare!!!!!!!
sheree xxx

Sheena Rae said...

I stress out on photo days, but only because I am a photographer! :D

Unknown said...

awww great pictures!!! You have the cutest family :) love the outfit coordination & that last black and white photo is just amazing!

xoxo

Heather said...

These are such cute pictures! I love the rock throwing one :) Totally worth all the stress! And you did a fab job of styling the outfits!

XO
Pearls & Paws

Courtney said...

Precious family pictures! My husband dreads them every year like he's going off to the slaughter--so stressful!!! I love the outtakes almost as much as the gorgeous perfect ones though--your outfits look fantastic (of course!)

Anonymous said...

What great photos! Following from Sara Montana!!

http://itsthelittlethings-ash.blogspot.com/

Rach said...

They look great! I especially love that very last shot. It's so cute!

Wine and Summer said...

Love these! They are so great! The last one is adorable!

My whole extended family is taking a portrait when everyone is in town for Thanksgiving. It's already stressful! We have been fighting about outfits since August!

Just Another Shopaholic said...

Beautiful pictures and beautiful family.

Amy Charming said...

Understand what you're talking about as (a) a photographer and (b) as a wife desperate for family photos. BUT that one golden picture is pretty darn perfect -- beautiful family!

Modern Camelot said...

Love how coordinated you all are, these turned out wonderful!

still being [molly] said...

these photos are GORGEOUS, shanna! even the silly ones!! love you and your heart and your love for your family!

Unknown said...

What an adorable family you have. I love looking at family pictures!

http://thriftyandshameless.blogspot.com

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