Today I was working on my How to Keep Your Sugar-plums from Turning to Prunes series when I ran across an absolutely hysterical and practical article on how to do the “perfect” the Family Christmas Photo shoot for your annual card or newsletter.
It is a fun look at a tradition that so many of us try to get through.
I hope you enjoy.
I found this on The Scary Mommy Website – Jill Smokler is the Scary Mommy
Holidays can be frustrating and exhausting, but it’s still kinda mandatory that you at least get a few pictures of the family for posterity. The problem? Taking a GOOD family photo will bring you to the very edge of insanity. Here are some helpful tips for how to take the perfect family photo:
1. Time your photos well. About 45 minutes past nap time seems to be a popular time for the self-elected photog to jump up and shout, “Hey everybody! Let’s grab a picture of the WHOLE family while we’re all here!” Poor clueless Cousin Jack. He means well; he’s just never tried to get a cranky two year old to sit still and smile on command. Holiday smarter this year and form a preemptive strike! As soon as everyone has arrived, and preferably before your holiday feast (see #2), gather the fam bam for a quick photo shoot. Everyone should be a bit more jolly at the beginning of the visit.
2. Take pictures before you eat. Perfectly prepared parent though I’m sure you ARE, (you probably have an extra change of clothes and ten metric tons of baby wipes in your diaper bag!), not everyone will have come as prepared, and cranberry sauce isn’t really a good look on anyone.
3. It’s almost impossible to get more than two people at a time to look in the same direction; work it. I know most people would prefer a full-on formal portrait with everyone sitting straight and smiling deeply into the camera lense, but 98.54% of the time, that’s not going to happen, and that cruel expectation is what causes a majority of photo frustration. You probably don’t want a picture to include the back of someone’s head, but other than that, it’s perfectly okay if not everyone is staring at the same spot. And if they are, it’s probably that gravy stain on your shirt (see #2), but that’s okay, too.
4. Don’t be afraid to use bribery. “If everyone will just look this way and smile, I promise to only take three pictures, and then we’ll have pie!” Who could say no to pie?
– See the rest of this fun article