Family Photos should be fun. So often we think that in order to get great family photos that our kids have to be perfectly behaved and everyone needs to follow directions for an hour. This is not and should not be the case. Our goal as photographers is to get you the perfect classic family portrait, get all the personality of your children, and have a blast doing it. You are going to love the photos so much better if you had a great time doing it. That way too, your whole family will want to do it again!
Here are some ideas to make your family photos fun, memorable and beautiful:
Go Sledding/ Play in the Snow.
In Colorado, we all love the mountains. We have the huge benefit of having fairly mild winters. We get all the beautiful snow but that Colorado sun keeps us warm and able to play outside. So why not do a shoot in the mountains and let your kids play a little. You will get pretty views and nice family photos in the trees as well as the joy on your kid’s faces as they play and genuinely have fun.
Bake Cookies (or anything you like).
I think cooking with my boys is my favorite thing to do. It gets us close, entertained, and silly. You can keep it as easy as you want, buy box muffins or cupcakes or even cookies. Or make them from scratch. Here is my favorite sugar cookie recipe. It is no chill so you can do the whole thing from start to finish and not have a break. For photos, it gets your family right next to each other, It is playful, has fun colors, and a reward at the end
Build a Fort.
This is a super fun enticement for the shy kid or kids who hate taking pictures. It allows you to create your own world, your own space to be together in. It also is a nice way to have fun visual layers for your photos and not have to clean your house. You can put up a sheet and have a big blank background. Also, the smiles are unlimited with kids and forts.
Explore some Caves.
In Colorado we have some pretty amazing places, even right in our backyard. Head over to Ken Caryl where you can hike around and go inside real caves. Park near the Bradford Perley House (a historical place) and explore the area around.
Play Castle.
Piggy Backing on #4 we have some neat castles in Colorado. One of my favorites is Highlands Ranch Mansion. Okay, not a true castle but it is big and beautiful enough for you to feel like it. The outside is open to the public and you can also make a reservation to go inside.
Get Artsy.
I fully encourage this one to be a little messy. Why not? You could just do coloring or chalk art on your driveway or you could put some white t-shirts on and get the paint out, paint on a canvas, finger paint, maybe get a little on each other’s clothes. What excuse do kids ever have to get a little messy? They will thank you for it. As a side note, a great idea for older kids are paint bombs.
Have an afternoon exploring downtown.
There is so much to see and do downtown. Kids can climb and jump on the benches and sidewalk areas. You can go to union station and have a hot chocolate or up to Millenium Bridge and pretend to be superheroes. RINO is super fun to be a little funky and a little artsy too.
Take away the stress of trying to get your family to cooperate and focus on making it a fun event. We will take the time to get the perfect family photo in that. If you are all having a good time together, the smiles for the perfect posed family photo will be all that much better. Plus, you get the bonuses of enjoying the time you spend and photos that will make you really remember the personalities and love of your kids.
So have a blast!
