December 29, 2009
Getting that Family Christmas Card Photo
Our mantle is surrounded by Christmas cards with photos. So many beautiful smiling children. So many happy families. So adorable. And, well, so deceiving too. That’s because few things are as stressful as getting that perfect family Christmas card when you have young children.
Each year our Christmas card photo goes a little something like this:
We start with such high expectations. My sweetheart wife picks out the boy’s outfits in early fall. She says she wants them to match, but not be “matchy matchy.”
Then we pick a spot for the picture. We prefer outdoor shots because it gives off the impression that we are a rugged outdoorsy family.
Then we pick a time, usually in late afternoon when the sun is not overwhelming, and setup the tripod. We place everyone exactly where you want them.
We make some threats. We offer some bribes (Krispy Kreme doughnuts work well for this). Next we realize that our sons are smile-challenged. They have a great smile when they are genuinely happy, but that’s never when we are taking pictures. So I dance around, make idiotic faces. And when that doesn’t work, I tell them not to smile, but not to look mad either.
Then I set the timer and run over to get in the shot. It snaps. Then I run back and preview the picture.
Then I say something like, “Almost. Soandso wasn’t quite smiling. Or, “Soandso’s eyes were closed.” Or “Soandso was making fish lips.”
Then I start over again with more threats and more bribes.
But not this year! We went the lazy route and had a professional photographers Ken and Jamie Worley take the pictures for us. To bypass the entire smiling issue, we had them take shots where we’re not posed or didn’t require that the boys be smiling right at the camera. They did a great job, and made the whole experience fun and natural. Here are a few photos from they took:
