7 Reasons You Should Schedule An Annual Family Photo Session
Personally, I think it’s important to document your family and your life through family photo sessions as often as you can. You could do it every couple of years, but then you’re missing out on all the big changes your little ones go through. Ideally I think once a year is great.
I have families that do photo shoots as often as four times a year, and some that do them every couple of years. The families that do them more often are usually doing them on their kids birthdays each year, and then maybe a holiday session as well. Some do four sessions in their babies first year to document the three month milestones. And then other families just do an annual session.
Being that we live in Chicago, there are so many great locations for photos…it’s possible to switch it up every time if you want and get great variation in every family photo shoot.
Here are seven reasons to do a yearly photo session…
Capture your children as they grow
Kids grow FAST. We all know that. Your newborn will look like an entirely different baby 3 months from now. Your two year old may look like a baby on their birthday, but like a kid nine months and a haircut later. Your three year old will look different in October than they did in March. And your 7 year old probably looks so cute without their two front teeth…but in a year will have their adult teeth in and look so much older!
These are reasons to get photos of your family taken yearly. To document the growth and changes in your kids. You will want to remember how they changed, and how MUCH they changed, when they are older. Do you have a spot in your house where you mark your kids height as they grow? Or maybe your parents did that with you? My dad did. Think of yearly photo sessions like height marking, but instead of marks on the wall, it’s in photo form.
And as important as these photos will be to you…they will also be important to them. When your kids are adults they will have photos of their entire childhood…they will be able to see themselves documented in photographs from birth to college.
2. Document your changing family
Maybe you have one child right now, but plan on having more? Not only should you document your family after you have had all the kids you want to have, but you should be documenting the road to having them. You should be collecting photos of your family through every journey and change. One kid, two kids, 3 kids….all of them.
I have had families say they don’t want pictures up in their home of their family before their 2nd or 3rd child was born because they don’t include them. I very much disagree with that. It’s not like you weren’t a family before your other kids arrived. So why not have that time of your life, and that point in the journey of your family, documented? Also, your oldest child will appreciate having those family photos before anyone else was around too. (That’s coming from an oldest child!)
3. Holiday photos
Holiday photos are a popular annual tradition with many families. This is always a good time to do a yearly family photo session. You can capture your family, and also get photos for your holiday card. Done and done.
The most popular time for these photos is September- December. Just be sure to book early for fall/holiday sessions because it is the busiest time of year for photographers. In 2022 my fall calendar filled up completely. You will want to have that booked by July, or August at the latest.
4. Start a tradition
Kids love traditions. So why not make your family photo session a fun yearly tradition? In addition to making it a tradition, you get to make memories as keepsakes too.
You can make a whole day of it...start with the photo session, then plan for a fun activity after, and then end with dinner or ice cream or something. Obviously you can organize that in a different way, but the point is to make it a whole day of fun…with the shoot in there somewhere. To be totally honest, this also works well for having something to use as a negotiation for getting kids to behave during the session…”if you’re not good for photos, we can’t go for ice cream.” Ha! It works.
5. Create art
Do you know that having family photos up can boost a child’s self-esteem? Really! According to actual research, when kids see themselves in photos that are hung in their home it can help them feel like a valued and important part of the family. Seeing their photo on the wall every day, lets them know they are loved and helps them develop a positive self image…more so than kids who grow up in homes without any family photos up.
Doing annual photos means that you constantly have updated artwork to hang. So when your kids are twelve you won’t only have photos of them at three…you will photos of them as they grew…from baby to twelve.
You can also use these photos as gifts for family members…grandparents love photos of their kids and grandkids. Put a photo in a frame, or get a canvas made…perfect birthday or holiday gift.
6. For Posterity
Maybe this is just me, but I love looking at old family photos. Not just photos since I was born, but of my mom as a child. And her mom as a child. I love seeing old black and white photos of my great-grandma (who I had the privilege of knowing until I was 15) dressed in flapper style clothing in the 1920’s. And pictures of my grandfather, who I never knew because he passed away before I was born. One photo in particular of him and my grandma at the beach when they were teenagers is one of my favorites. And It’s so cool to me that I have pictures of my great-great grandmother, who moved to Chicago from Italy in the 1800’s.
Pictures of my grandma throughout her life have become increasingly more important to me since she passed away a few years ago. We were very close and I’m so grateful to have photos of her throughout her whole life. From her as a little kid in the 1930’s to her at almost 90. They are some of my most treasured possessions.
These photos aren’t just for you and your walls. They are for your kids too. And their kids. And maybe even THEIR kids! I know it’s weird to think of your 2 year old as a 45 year old, but they will be someday…and they will appreciate having these beautiful photos of their family documented throughout their life.
7. Important Memories
My dad passed away 6 years ago. We didn’t always get along…and in fact there were many years where we didn’t see each other. But right before he died my sister and I spent the day with him at his home in North Carolina. After we left and were at the airport my dad texted me to say we never got a photo of us together! I was so sad…but I told him we would get one next time…knowing it was quite possible there wouldn’t be a next time. And there wasn’t. To this day I hate thinking about that…I’m a photographer and I forgot to take a photo of us together. The only other photos I have of us together are from when I was about 13 and younger. I guess that meant we were living in the moment and enjoying the day…didn’t even think about taking photos. But still… it kind of breaks my heart.
Not to sound morbid, but you may not be here someday. What if that happened earlier then you think? Would your kids be left with lots of photos of you to cherish? Family photos of all of you together? Photos may be all that your loved ones have left to hold on to. So get those pictures taken now. They might mean so much more than you think.