đŠ A Sweet Family Tradition
This was the third time Iâve photographed this family (Iâm so grateful for all of my returning clients!), and at this point, weâve got a tradition â we always end with dessert!
When we were planning their very first session, they mentioned that they eat ice cream as a family nearly every single night. (A family after my own heart!) So I suggested we wrap up their session with a little ice cream party â and now, part of our planning includes what the sweet treat is going to be. Which is honestly just so fun!
đ Scroll for 7 ideas to make your own!
Year 1 was ice cream in the summertime, hanging out in their backyard with their toddler bouncing back over to the swing set between licks.
For Year 2 we went to a school yard that had some pretty leaves changing in the fall. After their pre-dessert photos were all done, we headed to the picnic tables for a round of hot cocoas topped with whipped cream!
This year, it was back to their backyard but this time, huddled around the firepit to make sâmores!
Iâm a âhave your cake and eat it tooâ person when I can be. I just have the best time being able to give my clients the family photo they want to print big and hang up because everyone is just SO THEM, but also the close ups of those sticky fingers and their middle child trying to see how many marshmallows they can fit in their mouth at once.
Thatâs one of my favorite parts of being a photographer in Clarksville â getting to see how each family grows in their relationships with each other, what they do when they hang out together, and build these little traditions over time. Each session is like a pause button on a life that seems to go by faster every year.
Why Make Family Photos a Tradition?
If family photos arenât an annual tradition for you yet, I want you to really consider it.
Because hereâs the truth â your portraits arenât for today. Theyâre for you in five, ten, twenty-five years.
Theyâre for the version of you who has forgotten what your sonâs looked like for those couple months while his tooth hadnât come in yet, or how your daughter used to twirl around pretending to be a butterfly. Theyâre for the days when youâre shocked at how quiet it is.
And if you skip the family session, itâs kind of like skipping an episode of your favorite show (assuming you love your family⊠đ). You wonât know what you missed until next year!
7 Ideas for adding a tradition to your family photo session (no matter the ages!)
This should be something that speaks to you as a family, first and foremost. Otherwise, you risk being over it after just a few years!
Favorite books - tons of families read together when the kids are little and it is a sweet memory lots of parents want to keep forever! Choose the same book to revisit every year, or the current fave.
Make a mess! - Mud, paint, shaving cream, frosting, the list goes on!
Extra-curricular props - sports, musical instruments, hobbies, art supplies, whatever youâre into, bring something along to be photographed with. (This sounds like its just for the kids, but I know so many adults that bounce around to different hobbies too!)
Piled in the back of the car - The âfamily vehicleâ changes over the years, and the way we fit inside them does too. If youâre a roadtripping family, this one is really great!
Meal Prep - kind of like ending with a treat but more of an in-home cooking version. Homemade pizzas, your familyâs favorite dinner, etc.
STEAM - build something or make an art project together: legos/blocks, make bubbles, sidewalk chalk, paint, flower crowns to wear, coloring, use your imagination!
Games - play a round of your familyâs favorite game! Candyland, Uno, Soccer, anything is fair game (see what I did there?)
The questionnaire I send ALL my clients helps figure out ways to make your portraits truly unique to your family. If youâre looking for Clarksville TN photography, Iâd love to chat with you about your family and what is special to you about this year in your lives!
đ Reach out here to get started, and Iâll be in touch! Letâs start a tradition youâll really look forward to.đ«¶