December 4, 2023

Holiday Portraits | Five Simple Tips for Success

Stress Free Holiday Portraits

The Most Wonderful Time of Year has arrived!  Maybe it has recently snowed–sure looks like a Holiday Card outside today!  Holy Moly–You need Holiday Portraits for Holiday Cards!  Did you wait til the last minute to take your Holiday Portraits?

Great Holiday Portraits with Santa
One of my favorite Holiday images.

Don’t Panic About Holiday Photos!

Family Holiday Photos in Saratoga NY
Don’t panic about Holiday Photos!

This is the time of year that people want to get some photos of their families for holiday cards and gifts.  A lot of the time parents want to attempt to create their holiday portraits  themselves–not really sure why.  But I sympathize, I will give you my tried and true, Mom-tested tips for getting holiday pics of the kiddos.

Plan Ahead:

Seriously, plan ahead.  Plan for at least 20 minutes to photograph the kids.  Make sure you know what time of day is their happy time.  That is your magic window.  The magic window can be very short, especially with babies or with multiple children.  Gather all clothing, props, etc. prior to the allotted time.  Decide ahead of time which look/props/background are most important to you and do that first.

Have an Assistant:

Having an extra set of eyes and hands makes the job of photographing your kids holiday portraits infinitely easier.  They can check for any untucked shirts, dirty faces, messy hair while you concentrate on getting good expressions.

Holiday Portraits Saratoga NY
Spit happens! This usually happens at every portrait session with a baby.  This killed me because the Mom and Dad look so good here.  LOL.

Have Realistic Expectations:

Kids don’t care about your holiday cards.  They don’t care about the gift of portraiture.  They don’t want to hold still for any of that.  If you want them to cooperate, be prepared to bribe them heavily. And whatever you do, don’t threaten them.  It does not get them to comply and it generally signals the end of the session because it either makes them angry, sad, or terrified. Possibly all three.  Trust me on this.

Best Saratoga NY Children's Portraits
What a sweet girl! She was so happy!

Know When Enough is Enough:

Some people try to work through the Crying.  No.  Just.  No.  Quit while you are ahead.  You can always try another day.

Holiday Photos Saratoga
Lot’s of cute faces.

Call a Professional:

Sometimes it is worth the money to hire a Professional Photographer.  There is not a kid out there who has gotten the better of me at a Portrait Session.  And don’t you want to be in some photos with your kids?

Snow Day Portraits Saratoga NY
Make sure you get in some photos with your kids! Exist in photos for them!

Good luck with your Holiday Photos!  And remember–I am just a phone call away!

Did you enjoy this article on planning your Holiday Portraits?  You might also enjoy this article on Holiday Portraits.

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ADD A COMMENT

Susan, these holiday photos are absolutely adorable!!! It’s so important for families with young children to remember to be realistic. And the outtakes are so funny, totally worth keeping those too!

Blackburn Portrait Design

Thank you Michelle! I remember when my kids were little wanting to get the “perfect” Holiday photo–with totally unrealistic expectations!

Set realistic expectations, YES!!! Families and life aren’t perfect, it’s ok if your kiddos are not sitting perfectly still smiling at the camera. Some of my favorite photos from family sessions are when the photographer catches my boys just acting like themselves!

Blackburn Portrait Design

Thanks Brandi–I much prefer authentic myself.