Why do we get family photos taken about every 15 months?

Family photos are expensive, but I just love to have beautiful, professional shots to hang up in our home.  Going every year seems a little too frequent (pricey).  However, going every two years seems like we’d miss out on too many growth milestones with our kids.

So, getting photos taken every 15 months seems like the perfect balance… and besides, then we get to take photos in each season of the year. 😉

How I Plan Family Photos

I’m pretty particular that the art and photos on our walls match our home’s color scheme.  So when planning clothing for a family photo session, I focus on getting everyone into coordinating colors and patterns.  Coordinating is the key word, as I don’t like anything too matchey.

To stay on budget, I shop in our closets first, pulling out anything that’s a possibility.  I try to put together an outfit or two for each person.  Hanging up the outfits next to each other helps me visualize the photos…does anything clash? Does it look balanced?

If I’m missing articles of clothing, then I shop at thrift stores.  Deseret Industries and Kid to Kid are my local favorites.  I’m not a fashionista or an expert stylist, so I’m glad our pictures have always turned out well. 

Personally, I generally like going to a photography studio instead of outdoor shoots.  I don’t have to plan around the weather, the lighting is always great, and I don’t have to worry about corralling my girls…or dealing with their grasshopper, butterfly, and lady bug phobias.  Haha, really?!?  Nope, in a studio we can just focus on getting some great shots.  Hooray!

As an additional bonus, the photography studio I like has some amazing feature walls and cute props that always look so good in the final photos.

So if it’s been a while since getting your family photos taken, put it on your to-do list!