The yearly family photo session.

Usually half the family is excited to take them (or maybe just Mom) and the other half is dragging their feet. I came up with a few helpful tips to make this year’s session go a bit smoother.

Book your session in September or October. This may seam a bit early but somehow the holidays sneak up on us every year. Your photographer will have more open dates further away from the holidays and better able to work with your schedule. Also, the weather is much more predictable. July and August can be too hot and humid-no one likes to melt during photos and it never helps children’s moods at all. September and October offer the most color all year and the weather is very comfortable. Even if this is three months before the holidays no one changes their looks too much. If you have a baby, they may fill out a bit more but everyone else pretty much looks the same.

So now your family photos are behind you and it’s one less thing to worry about during the holidays and Christmas break. Also, this allows you to take advantage of the holiday coupons. I have oodles of these come through the mail or sent to my inbox. Choose your favorite lab and sign up for their newsletter. If you have your family photos taken and favorites picked out you can order them when you get the first coupon. I have waited to order my Christmas cards till the last minute too many times. There is always a huge influx of mail going out during December and packages can take longer to reach their destination and even get lost. Here are a few of my favorite printing labs: Artifact Uprising, Tiny Prints, MPix, and Shutterfly, to name a few.

Probably the biggest reason I order cards early is the time it takes to label them. You can hand them out in person during holiday reunions-which saves time and stamps. You don’t need to feel rushed addressing the cards and it has gone from a task I dread to a favorite holiday tradition. I usually stay up late writing addresses while sipping tea when the house is quiet.

I hope this helps you family photo session to be more enjoyable.