with the small preview of fall last week,
i started thinking about christmas photos.
i mean,
we did ours this summer on vacation,
so we're done.
(smartest thing i've ever done!)
however, most people do their photos for
their christmas cards in the fall.
ah, photos.
to the mom, photos mean stress.
buying new outfits.
buying more new outfits 'cause you
changed your mind about your outfit
(that might only be me, though. :))
non-cooperating weather.
haircuts.
finding a photographer.
to the dad, photos mean, well, an unhappy mom.
fighting with the kids to stay still.
spending money you were saving.
(a photographer costs how much?!)
having to pose when you'd rather be
watching a game.
for the kids, photos mean yelling.
yelling at the kids.
parents yelling at each other.
racing around the house to get ready
and yelling for everyone to hurry up.
what's fun about that??
no one said photos had to be done the same
way EVERY YEAR.
or by a professional photographer.
it's okay to do things differently.
i have found a TON of ideas on pinterest over
the last few months,
some i've tried myself.
here are some ideas, new and old, for everyone:
1. for the newly married couple.
you just took a TON of wedding photos that were sure to be expensive.
use those!
saves your cheeks from all of that smiling.
get with your photographer and order some prints. or if you bought a cd of your photos,
print them. (i'll cover where to print at further down)
2. for the non-photogenic/i hate smiling.
try something fun.
this could work for the newlywed, too.
the hands have it.
as much as your grandma would love to
see your happy face,
sometimes the simple intimate photo is better.
to me the body language says,
"we love each other a lot".
more importantly, if you're on a very tight budget that doesn't leave room for a photographer,
this one could be easily done by a friend.
3. only child? focus on just them.
there's all of this talk about how mom's should be in the photos, too...
but honestly, what tired mom wants to display the bags under her eyes??
i sure don't.
this photo shows that there are parents
(we tend to forget about the parents when there's a new little one around anyway),
but puts the main focus on the child.
4. let them be kids.
no one said kids have to look at the camera.
candids are a big part of my life.
let the kids play or do something that represents them.
we just took this shot yesterday.
my kids are best friends.
seriously.
they want to do everything together.
including running away from their mom.
(and yes, there was yelling on my part. :))
i adore candids.
get on the floor with your sons as they play with their star wars toys.
shoot through the window of your girl's
dollhouse as she's holding her princess doll.
capture the everyday.
i saw this posted on facebook today
these photos of her kids capture her everyday moments perfectly.
5. family fun.
what's not fun about dressing up
together??
nothing says togetherness better than that.
the last photo on this link would have
made a very fitting family photo for their
christmas card. :)
seriously fun.
i can only imagine how
much fun this had to have been to shoot,
both for the family and for the photographer.
(be sure to check out the link at the bottom of the photo to see the rest of their shoot)
(via
pinterest)
this last shot is from a post for those of us who are always behind the camera and how we should join in on the photos.
i love this photo because it is something that you could do in your christmas jammies, reading 'twas the night before christmas'. it's simple, festive, cheap(both clothes and not having to have a photographer present) and candid. it's something i will personally be doing with my kids while my husband is deployed.
(via pinterest)
now for the second part of this post:
printing.
everyone wants to print on a budget.
however, remember that you get what you pay for.
i found this photo on (again) pinterest and i
thought it was absolutely perfect.
the post gives you a better description of everything, so you can read that here. i encourage you to take what's written to heart.
we made the mistake of doing photos cheaply last year through wal-mart and got a walgreens result. i was so upset. lesson learned.
i recommend mpix to everyone i know and use it myself(it's a kansas based business). i love how the photos come out and how quickly they make it to my house. if you've never looked into them before, please do so! if it intimidates you trying to put photos together online, let me know...i'd be happy to help you out! or try a locally owned shop to do your printing. i'm sure they'd appreciate your business.
PHOTOGRAPHERS:
lastly, if you're wanting to do photos with a professional, book a session immediately. booking in the summer is typically the best time, but some will still have slots open now.
if you need a photographer recommendation,
there is a list of local photographers on the top right hand side of this blog. click on the name and it'll take you to their site.
i hope that this post has been helpful to you! if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me in my comments section or email me at jeaswhyte(at)yahoo(dot)com.
