Ah, family pictures...just those words strike fear into the hearts of parents everywhere! I decided when Corban was a baby that I didn't want to pay a professional anymore for the chance that they would catch my kid in a good mood, and then not have the right to use those pictures at my discretion once they were taken. But how to get good pictures without real skill or training, since I'm definitely lacking in both?
First, I needed a camera that thought for itself really well. Done.
Then I needed professional-looking lighting. I realized that if I take my pictures in front of a window (with the subjects facing the window) at the right time of day, with the shades open just right, it creates a soft sort of natural light that lights the subjects very beautifully.
After that, I needed professional looking backgrounds. I'm still working on that one, but so far a blanket hanging behind everyone has been good enough.
Next I needed smiling kids in clean clothes. This is perhaps the hardest trick of all to pull off!
I realized that my kids can best be depended on for a good mood in the morning, after breakfast and diaper changes, usually before I've had a chance to shower. So I solved this one by setting up my "studio" and laying out everyone's clothes before the kids get up in the morning, or the night before.
The morning of picture day, I get myself ready before the kids are up, or Ken and I take shifts getting ready and feeding and dressing the kids. Then we sit them down, Daddy makes them laugh and Mommy snaps as many pictures with the digital camera we can get before someone gets fed up with the whole thing.
I also decided to perform this feat a few times a year, increasing the chances that we'll have one good picture by Christmas time, and making sure I get some good shots of the baby's development.
Just like watering my plants every Sunday after church, it helps me to attach something I want to do regularly to an activity that's already a given in my life. In the case of formal pictures, I was already dressing the kids up for Easter and Thanksgiving, I just coordinated outfits for the Fourth of July and had three times every year where, with a little more effort than I'd been going to already, we could have regular family pictures!
Some sessions have come out better than others, but so far I've always ended up with something to hang on the wall.
Here are some of the best pictures we took Thanksgiving morning this year!
Keitra was our little pilgrim and Corban our Native American. Corban really didn't want to put on this outfit, or take pictures. After many bribes and beatings we managed to get a few sort of smiles...
Keitra, on the other hand, acted as very much the little doll that she is, content to sit and suck her fingers or play quietly while Mommy did whatever crazy thing she was doing that caused her to make funny faces like that.
She was good for some really great smiles!
The little blue and white dress she's wearing was mine when I was a baby, making these pictures extra special tributes to heritage.
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