Ahhhh. Fall. That time of year that fills homes with cozy smells, feelings and colors. My favorite time of the year, not lastly because (if you follow my page you will know), it means family picture time! It's my yearly Christmas gift from Dan, and honestly it's the only thing I ask for every year.
I was excited/nervous about taking pictures in our new home. Excited because, it is quite possibly the most beautiful place on Earth. Nervous because I didn't have any idea on how to find a local photographer. Thankfully, when I asked someone who goes to our church, they directed me towards Happy Moments, a husband and wife team whose pictures were beautiful! They were very quick to respond, easy to communicate with, reasonably priced, and ended up taking mesmerizing photos! I would recommend them to anyone, and will definitely be using them in the future!
Now, on to the tips. Some of these are ones I've mentioned in previous posts about our family photos, but I think they bear mentioning again. If you're interested in those posts, you can find them here: 2014, 2015, and 2016.
1. Keep Up With Traditions
We've been taking family pictures every Fall for years now. The first year, we got a picture with Aidan standing between Dan and I, and then after that it became a "thing", and I just love it. Here are the pictures, in order:
2. Layers, Patterns and Textures
One of the things I love most about the terrain where we got our pictures taken, was the layers of beauty. First you have the lake, then your gaze goes up to the rocks, then the trees, the snow capped mountains, and finally the sky. You can't generate this kind of beauty, but I decided to play off of it some.
Whenever you add textures, it adds to the depth of the picture. Some of the places we did that, was my chunky knit sweater, cuffing my jeans, and then the boys' plaid shirts. At first, I wasn't sure on having two different plaids, but it ended up working well, as they seemed to highlight each other, rather than overpower.
3. Neutrals
For the past year or two I've really been into neutrals, as has most of the world (thanks to Joanna Gaines), so most of the clothes we've bought for ourselves, as well as Aidan have fallen into the blue-gray-brown-beige realm. This made it really easy to come up with coordinating (not matching) outfits, without having to buy new clothes (money saver there). In case you really love what we're wearing, Dan's shirt is from American Eagle, Aidan's pants, jacket and boots are from Target, and his shirt is from H&M. I've had most of my pieces for a while, and can't even say where they're from, but my boots, my favorite part of the outfit are from Vici Collection.
Another thing I love about neutrals, is that they seem to be more timeless, and you can put them up anywhere in your house, without them clashing with other colors going on. (Of course, in my case, our home is mostly neutrals, too, so it's all good, haha!)
4. Trust Your Photographer
It's a little awkward at first, when someone you don't know is holding a camera, and tells you to close your eyes, and lean your foreheads together. And then you have to stay like that for a while. It doesn't feel particularly natural. BUT our photographer totally knew what he was doing, and we ended up with some very tender and romantic pictures of just Dan and I, that we haven't really had since our wedding, and I really love them!
We also trusted our photographer on location - we told them what kind of a place we were looking for - a lake with the mountains in the background, and they found they perfect spot. Also, we were supposed to have pictures taken the day before, but they contacted us, and said they felt like the area was too foggy that day, and recommended going the next day. We listened to their advice, and I'm so glad we did, because otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten these shots:
5. Don't Be Afraid To Be Playful - Still Come Prepared
This is mostly for families with young kids. Kids are always more relaxed when we let them be themselves, play, and then we interact with them. So, Aidan started playing with sticks, snow, and rocks, so we just went with it. In one of the photos, he has just given me a rock, that apparently looked like "ham". And then he gave me a kiss. <3 Pretty magical, if you ask me!
Now, as for the being prepared part: I packed an extra outfit for him, just in case there was a trip/fall (there was), or an accident, or what have you. I had a blanket for us to sit on, because I figured there would be snow and rocks, and we might sit down - and I'm glad I did! I also packed snacks, and gummy bears for bribery. Not my usual parenting style, but it worked for this. :)
And then sometimes you get this, and love it just as much!
And there you go! Basically, be comfortable, have fun, trust the photographer. :) I hope you all enjoyed our pictures, that the tips helped you out, and that you love your family pictures this year!
Merry Christmas!
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