Oh No, It's Family Portrait Time!

I know, I know, I just heard a WHOLE lot of head shaking, eye rolling, sighing and pleading for a decent photo THIS year for the family Christmas card, with that title!

Why do we get SO stressed out over the annual photo?

• Is it because we don't send enough photos to family and friends(you witl infants are obviously excluded, cause you LOVE to send them, LOL)?
• Is it because we are trying to one up our siblings, family members/friends and their spectacular family portraits? 
• Is it because we want perfection and know we can't achieve it, cause that ain't our family? 

You can spend a WHOLE lotta time pondering those 3 questions and probably not REALLY answer it, because more than likely, it's a combo of all 3!

So how about DESTRESSING this holiday season some?

Let's NOT aim for the perfect family portrait!

 (Seriously, those posed at the el-cheapo store give me the creeps- they always look so "Stepfordish"- it's like they should be a prop on bad movie sets, you know? Give me the photo with the kids looking sideways, at least I know they're human! Ok, so MAYBE too many B movies as a kid, blame Mom and my aunt!)

Yes, you heard me right! Let's aim for non-traditional Christmas Cards this year!

Look back over the GREAT non-staged (you know what I mean, NOT the ones with the kid's looking bored out of their senses and Mom and Dad uncomfortable) photos you or someone took of your family during the year. It doesn't HAVE to be a Christmas themed photo (want to have uncomfortable looking photos? Put your kids in velvet and fleece in 96 degree weather, yeah that will be some happy faces!). Think outside the box- what if you took that great photo and made it black and white? Sepia toned? Does it have more personality?

Personality IS what you are looking for. You don't want a picture that isn't YOU and YOUR FAMILY. You WANT the kids' personality to show through. Now having them all dressed in Star Wars costumes may not be the thing, but hey, if you guys go to all the conventions and it means alot to you, then by all means USE it! What about a picture with multiple generations? Sometimes unique counts more than having everybody in the picture! 

Here's one of our generational favorites:

Here's two that I may use for our cards this year:

 

For this one, I added some soft focus and I just love the look.

This may end up being one of my all-time fav pictures of Kiddo. Every girl who ever loved horses KNOWS this look. Yup, she's hooked. Hugging the pony, done deal! It's adorable in color, but the black and white aspect speaks volumes. Anyone who knows her knows she's hated to be around horses, and now they can not only see how she's grown, but the love that is there. One picture can speak volumes if you let it!


And no, we don't usually go for the 'family portrait' of Mom, Dad and Kiddo- mainly because we've never had a good one (seriously, the one from last Christmas, above, is the best so far!)-I know, I know- but it's more of backgrounds that can't be taken out or other people's arms that can't be cropped. It's sorta like we have a conspiracy against us getting a decent shot! So we tend to get better Mom/Kid and Dad/Kid shots. So we opt to go with Kiddo for the Christmas cards. Now if we can get a great one this year, that may change! But remember, "family" is operative- it can be the kids and the pets (or livestock, as it may be)!

And while you're scrolling through your personal archives, think Christmas presents too! A personalized photo gift, like a coffee cup or shopping bag, with a favorite picture of grandpa and the kids, or grandma and the kids, is worth more to them than another pair of house slippers! It shows LOVE! Here's an example of a picture that's sure to melt their heart:

  There's more than just a picture of fishing there. There's memories of taking me and doing the same thing, and passing on the same knowledge and love. You can't put a price on it, and they don't sell that in any store!

Still not sure you have a great photo to use? Shutterfly, who I've used the past 3 years to print our Christmas cards, is coming to your rescue with their month long Family Photo Day initiative!

In it they offer a Digital toolkit posted online, with EXCELLENT inside and outside shooting tips from Ana Schechter, in case you want to go ahead and try for a photo shoot, cause you just can't find a photo you're willing to share! They also have some great videos, including How to Get That Unique Photo (Best Tip? Keep clicking! Seriously, just click away and you may have to delete 50 photos, but you're gonna find a gem in that 52nd shot! Trust me!). They'll also be hosting some House Parties (where the selected hosts will sponsor a Family Picture Day at their homes, for family and friends)- so be on the out for some great activities all month long to help you decide what type of family portrait YOU want to take this year!

AND if you submit YOUR Family Photo into their Holiday Photo Contest, you might just win a year's worth of FREE cards! There will be 5 winners based on each type of photo (best classic/funny/creative/humorous/adventourous family photo). AND best of all, you get 5 FREE cards, just for entering YOUR photo! So start going through those photos!

I know you can do it, and if you can't, Shutterfly will help you to!

Disclosure:

I was selected for this sponsorship by GLobal Influence and Shutterfly, as part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly.  I received 50 free Shutterfly photo cards in exchange for writing this post. No other compensation, monetary, or other, was received for this post. All opinions are mine solely, I was not told what to say.