The Art of the Family Photo

There is no “art” to the family photo.

If you are a Facebook friend of mine, then you likely have seen at least one of my family photos. We do them twice a year, more if there is a milestone to document. And maybe you think, “Oh my gosh! How cute! I wish I did that” or maybe you think “Geeze, Sara sure does love herself and her family.”

The reality is that I, like many, have pursued a different lifestyle than the one I was raised in. Technology has made this easy. The number of photos of me as a child aren’t many. The few that I have are all favorites. My father (deeply in love) holding me in the hospital. My first birthday with my bottle stuck in the cake. The one of my mom, brother and me when I must’ve been 3 or 4 on a fall day (my favorite season). I have 2 family photos. Graduation day in High School and my brothers’ wedding.

Now that I am the parent, I get to decide what’s important and if it’s important to me, I have to make it happen. Here are some tips to how I get those super awesome, sometimes cheesy, family photos.

1. Marry a man that can say to himself “if this is what makes her happy, I will do it without complaint.” Let’s face it, taking the photos isn’t always fun. Planning, coordinating and getting everyone to cooperate and “just be happy” for an hour can take a toll on a family. However, what makes it fun is if everyone approaches it like- “hey! I think I would like to go for a walk with the love of my life, our beautiful children, with coordinating outfits, in a nice park or beach on this specific day and time while someone follows us taking our pictures while we are just having SO MUCH fun!” It can feel forced, but not if you don’t let it.
2. Find a photographer you feel comfortable with. This is especially important with kiddos. Calvin can’t wait to go spend time with Miss Tiffany. If you are working with someone you are awkward around, then your photos will look awkward. If you are working with someone you like, then your photos will look like you were just hanging out, having fun and a friend happened to snap the best moments.
3. Do not stress over where you take pictures. There are lots of pretty places and you are the centerpiece. If you “wish” you had done somewhere else, do that next time. You live and you learn. I kid you not, one spring I wanted to do pics at Azalea park just before the Azalea festival so that we could include the flowers. They KILLED THE BLOOMS with a chemical 2 weeks before the festival. Oh well, the pics were still gorgeous!
4. Do not stress over what you wear for the pictures. We’re lucky that Charleston has many pretty places for pictures. We typically choose our location based on the season and what is meaningful to us at that time in our lives. Unfortunately, the weather is unpredictable. In any given April and October (my preferred months for pics) it can be 50 degrees or it can be 80 degrees. If you choose outfits ahead of time, you run the risk of being hot or cold. For most family photos I throw the outfit together the week/night before. I usually have an idea of what colors I want and I will build off one “statement piece” and will keep an eye out for what might work ahead of time (maybe a month or so). This most recent picture, I ordered matching short alls for the boys through Etsy about six weeks prior. Thinking I wanted “summer” pictures they had watermelons on them. Luckily, watermelons were trendy this summer and I was able to find suitable clothes for the hubs and I last minute. However, this led to a last minute search for watermelons in October (not so easy) and a change of locations because the beach would have been too cool. We ended up taking pics at a path between our house and a park that now has meaning since we spent so much time there during quarantine (Rona 2020).
5. Day of. Okay, well, like your wedding day, it is what it is, just enjoy it. I almost always forget some piece of make-up. I’m usually sweaty (yay hormones!) and the kids are filthy. No ones naps, dinner or bedtime are on schedule. It is what it is. Remember, your only goal is to have fun going on a lovely walk.
6. Teach your child to smile. This comes naturally in the beginning days with an infant where you are desperate for your reward after feeding, changing and soothing your baby. At some point, you can teach your child to say “cheese.” Calvin learned this somewhere between 18 and 24 months. It sounds corny but it worked like a charm until recently. Slowly but surely, it’s becoming the awkward smile that children give once they realize what they look like holds some importance. Regardless of the quality of a childs’ smile, it is beautiful no matter what. If you can make your child genuinely smile in the presence of a stranger, then you have successfully taken an Amazing Family Photo.

Like anything else, the family photo is like anything else. You get out of it what you put in and half the battle is your attitude. So, if you too find family photos important, find yourself a photographer and schedule a shoot, the rest will fall into place. Even if it doesn’t come out perfectly, you will most certainly enjoy the result.