We just recently booked a couple of family portrait sessions that we’ll be photographing over the holidays this year, while our clients have family in town. This got me thinking about some of my favorite memories of family and the holidays. Growing up, one of my favorite holiday traditions was “Thanksgiving at aunt Joanne’s”. Lots of fun stories and memories of hunting, the best home cooked country food ever, and a bunch of crazy fun relatives cutting up down in the country. Even then I always tried to wrangle everyone together for a rough group photo out on the front porch before everyone left. Check out “aunt Joanne’s” crowd below, circa 1995.

I also realize lots of people may not think of Thanksgiving or Christmas in terms of a great time to have a family portrait created, but for many families, it’s the only time of year when the extended family is all together at one time and place. We have been fortunate over the years to have the opportunity to photograph for lots of families over the holidays and capture beautiful family portraits that mom and dad get enjoy on their wall all year long! Sometimes the older children may be the ones contacting us and they want to surprise the parents with a nice wall portrait of the whole family, or sometimes it’s the parents calling. Either way, our holiday family portraits are usually some of the most fun and memorable sessions we photograph for families.

Even if you don’t have us create a nice family portrait for your family this year, at least be that annoying person (like I was) that makes everyone pose for the group snap shot. Those images will only grow more valuable over time as you lose family members and your kids get older…

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