poll: how often do you get family photos taken?

[AnnieW625]

We get nice ones done by a professional every two years. We did get Target ones done when DD1 was 6 mos. old, but the last two times (DD1, 2/1/2), and now just a couple of weeks ago I found some deals on photo shoots with real professional photographers.

I have also done photos with just DD1 at Target for fathers day gifts when she was 1, and 2. She didn't want to do them at 3, and at 4 there was no way that I was doing them again 3 weeks post partum! I can't wait to do those again next year.

eta: forgot to post the poll, but you get the gist, right?

[Corie]

We had a great professional photographer come to our house in Rhode Island
and she took some awesome pictures of us in our backyard. (She was out
of Boston. My husband got her name from a co-worker who has professional
pictures taken ALL the time!)

We have done this ONCE in the 12 years we've been married. (My husband
hates having his picture taken.)

I get my kids pictures done all the time. I just go to the Picture People
or Portrait Innovations. I don't do it as much though since they are older
and they get their school pictures done.

[boolady]

We never have.

[infomama]

We have done professional family photos every Christmas for cards since Dd1 was one. We wont this year which is totally fine with me. We have some awesome pictures from our summer vacation in Montana we will use.
I adore the family photos we had done during the summertime. Once was in Cape Cod and the other here at home. Both outdoors...all amazing.

[brittone2]

We just did our first this year.

[smiles33]

We have never done any professional portraits of our family, though I had some maternity photos taken when pregnant with DD1 and a few after she was born by the same photog (who did them free in exchange for using them on her website). It was $400+ so I didn't do it for DD2.

FIL actually have been our unofficial family photographer and we just take photos sitting on the staircase. Turn out well enough for holiday cards and he's had his photo lab blow them up huge (16x24?).

[jgenie]

We get a family picture taken every year since having DC. I have only one family photo from when I was growing up. We're in the northeast and like to have ours done in the fall and use them for our Christmas cards. If I could only have one gift every year - this would be it. I would give up jewelry, clothes, electronics and pretty much anything else to get to have family pictures taken. It means that much to me.

For both DC, I had pics taken at Penney's for 3 mo, 6 mo, (the 9 month is a pic from our family shoot) and then yearly just after their birthday after that.

[ourbabygirl]

For DD, I had them done first by a professional when she was about 3 months old, and I just ordered two 5x7s of the three of us because they were so pricey (even though he waived the 'session' fee). Then I had 6 month pics of her done at Target, and gave some out to the grandparents for Easter gifts. We didn't do any 9 month pics of her if I remember right, but we did do another family 'session' at Target for our Christmas cards last year when she was a little over a year old (gave some as gifts again). Didn't do any 15 or 18 month pics, or even 2 year pics, as she turned 2 last month, and her little brother was born, so I figured I'd do another group shot of all of us this month to use in Christmas cards again... Not sure if we'll do Target again since it's cheaper and close to our house, or if I'll look for a professional that doesn't break the bank. I know there are certain people that come to your house, so that would be really nice. DD's in a stage where she won't smile much for pictures, though (closes her eyes when I take pictures of her, the little stinker :rolleye0014:), so I don't know how successful we'll be!
Oh, I forgot that my parents had professional pics taken of us and our kids last year for Mother's Day, and gave us two 8x10s as part of the gift. The people came out to their house and did them one after another, which was nice. Unfortunately the pics are already outdated as we're all having babies again this fall!

I do take TONS of pictures of them on my own, though, and e-mail them out to people, and make Shutterfly and Snapfish books.
I'd love to get professional pics done more often, but they cost so much and I don't know what I'd do with all the pictures once we replace them with new ones!

[elliput]

Never. DH and I have never had professional photos done, not even at our wedding. The last time I sat for professional pictures was in 1986 with my parents and siblings. It just isn't something we are in to.

[WatchingThemGrow]

We try to jump in with the DC in our spring visit to Portrait Innovations. It is also the time for DD's birthday picture and DS2's birthday picture, but we really do like having it done.

Lots of families seem to take one picture in November for their card, but we decided we didn't want every picture of our family to be a "Christmas" theme. Having a friend or relative take the picture for us does not work well. We need cheap professionals who are used to working with a bunch of little kids.

[KrisM]

We'll have our first ones on Black Friday.

[billysmommy]

We had a great professional photographer come to our house in Rhode Island
and she took some awesome pictures of us in our backyard. (She was out
of Boston. My husband got her name from a co-worker who has professional
pictures taken ALL the time!)



Who did you use?

We're going to do pictures on the beach next summer as part of my parent's 40th anniversary and are looking for someone.

[Twoboos]

Who did you use?


:yeahthat: Even though we just got pics done this past summer, it'd be more convenient to have someone around here, rather than in SoCal. ;)

To answer OP's question, we've had them done yearly, only b/c at DD's preschool they offered it as an additional picture package. Now that they're in public school it's not an option.

We did the pics this summer for MIL's bday gift. It was our fam, SIL and her fam, and MIL.

[JoyNChrist]

I try to do it once a year (we have a great family photographer) but DS1 is 3.5 and we haven't done it since he was 1 month old, so...yeah.

I scheduled them when he was 1 and 2, but DH ended up getting called into work both times, so it was just me and DS.

We have a session scheduled for tomorrow, so maybe I'll be better about doing it yearly (I'd really prefer every 6 months) now.

I'm pretty decent at photography, so I do all the kids' pics myself (the pictures I posted in the babies' intro thread were all done by me). It's nice because my family photographer gives me a cut rate - she takes the pics and burns them onto a CD, then I edit and print myself. So professional family pics only cost me $100 (her fee) and whatever the actual cost is the print them. :)

[citymama]

Am I the only person who has never had professional family photos taken?
:bag

[SnuggleBuggles]

We haven't had any whole family ones for 5 years! I was just going to do the boys in this years shoot again but I decided it was time dh and I got in there! I would have liked to lose 10lbs first but I just decided I wanted the pics even if I was 10lbs more than I wanted to be...they can just be the "before" pictures. :)

Beth

[lchang25000]

We get professional pics done once a year since DS has been born. Last year was an indoor studio shoot when he was 5 months old. Last month we had our outdoor fall family shoot.

[cvanbrunt]

Am I the only person who has never had professional family photos taken?
:bag

Nope. It's never even entered my mind to do it. I'm am less sentimental than paste.

[boolady]

Am I the only person who has never had professional family photos taken?
:bag

No, that's why I answered that we never have. We get DD's photo taken every year at Christmastime, and we get her school photo. I have never once seriously considered having us all have a photo session.

[niccig]

We've done it once in 6 years, we should do it again. DH takes great photos of DS and I, but I'm not so great at taking photos of the two of them. We have a friend that's a professional photographers. Last time I think we paid about $300 but he let us have all the photos, and I'm talking easily 60-70 shots and then we printed out what we want. I don't think he usually does that, but he's a long-time friend of DH's and did our wedding photos the same.

[arivecchi]

We have never had family or kid photo sessions.

[Binkandabee]

We get DD's pictures taken every year on or around their birthdays because they are 2 days apart. We also do a holiday photo and at least one other photo shoot at some point during the year....the timing really varies. We are big into pictures around here!

[Melanie]

I usually do the kids in the spring and it depends on availability and circumstances, if Dh & I are in it as well; then one of all of us (and the children separately) for the holidays. This year we missed the spring due to moving so I had Dc's done at the end of summer. Their birthdays are end of summer/beginning of Fall so sometimes I will go again around that time for a "birthday" picture. Now that they're in school I may skip their birthday pictures b/c the photographer actually took a really nice picture of each of them under a tree instead of the usual school-photo mug shot.

Prior to Age 1, I had Dc's pictures taken every three months.

[maestramommy]

We got "formal" family portraits taken for the first time, this summer. This is just us, and I think we might be a little funny this way, but we didn't want to take formal family pics until we had all the kids we knew we were going to have. That said, I've taken the girls in for their individual portraits at 6 months and post 12 months. Which reminds me, I really need to schedule Laurel's pics.

[Jo..]

Never ever, not once, and we are so good looking that it's a crime. :ROTFLMAO:

I am just TOO CHEAP. Can't do it.

[amldaley]

We are hugely spoiled. DD's godmother is a professional photog. Another dear friend is a skilled amateur about to start her own business she is so good. And DH is a published photo journalist.

I switch bakc and forth between my friends and we do sessions about 4 times per year.

If I were paying full price? Once a year at best with a hghly skilled photog and fill in another once or twice a year with a chain studio like Pennys or the like. Then again, DD is only 2. Once she slows down in growth and change, likely once a year.