DIY: Family Portraits, Christmas Card Pics and More

Unless you get a package deal (which usually only includes 1 shot)  at an inexpensive portrait studio, family pictures can be quite expensive. I wanted to encourage you to do your own photo shoots.
 
You don't even need an expensive camera. In fact, many cell phones take excellent pictures now.

One of our friends took our pictures and then we took theirs. I came up with some ideas and they came up with others.

You can make it a fun double date or have an extended family member take them. In fact I took my sister's Christmas-card portrait for a few years.

The beach pictures are our Christmas pictures from last year. We were expecting baby Avery and so we had a lot of "belly" pics.

Here are some Tips
1. Look online for tips: Google: Family Pictures (images)  It will give you some good ideas. If you do have an idea, it probably has already been done by somebody else and looking will help you put together your idea.

2. I would also recommend using a good photo editor like Picasa ...so that you can add text, change the color and touch up the pictures. In fact Picasa is A LOT of fun.

3. Enjoy and snap. You will be surprised how random pictures become your favorites and how much your photo editor helps your pictures look professional.

4. Here is a random tip. Tilt the camera a bit. It gives the pictures a different perspective

All of these pictures have been taken on my camera or our friends (above). Hope you enjoy them.