Picture Perfect – Family Photo Frenzy

Every so often we get a family portrait done…and to be honest, I kind of dread it.

Things might look picture perfect in the one photo we select but let’s be real, it probably took hundreds of shots to capture that moment where we all look (or almost look) picture perfect.

You see, it’s no easy task getting 7 people smiling at the camera simultaneously, and it’s a mystery to me how Scott from Paramount Portraits does it.

I always love the final product but here is what I don’t love:

– Figuring out what we all wear so we don’t clash but also so we are not too matchy-matchy

– Feeling anxious about the weather because I’m insistent on outdoor photos

– Scurrying from one child to the next ensuring hair looks good, noses are wiped, and clothes are on properly and without stains

– Starting the day looking half decent but end up looking a little frazzeled as I try get my kids looking like a million bucks

– The pushing and shoving and the voices whining, ‘I want to stand by Mom’, ‘You’re not wearing that?!?’, ‘She kicked me’, ‘I’m hungry’, ‘I’m cold’, ‘Are we done yet’, ‘You have bad breath’ and whatever else pops into their heads

I love looking back at our framed portraits to see how we have grown and changed, it makes me feel grateful for that picture perfect group smiling back at me from the photo, it also makes me smile as I remember the family photo frenzy of capturing the moment.

Now to choose the shot that will accompany our annual Christmas letter…