dreams in spanglish: October 2018

With the holiday season, comes the tradition of taking family pictures! Cute pictures where everyone looks like a million bucks and everyone is perfectly happy, right? When you think of taking family pictures, does the thought make you excited, or does it make you cringe a little? Does picking out outfits make you want to run for the hills screaming and make you seriously consider hiring someone to just photoshop your family's faces on other "perfectly" pictured families? Let me tell you, I've seriously considered the latter.

But, having had quite a good number of family shoots under our belts, I feel like we have found a few ways to make things run more smoothly, and be something we look forward to instead of dread! (Yes, it's possible!)

- Set the scene. Have an idea of where you want to take pictures before you actually do so! If you will be taking pictures outdoors, visit the location so you know what sorts of things you will have to deal with. Whether it be the weather, or the foliage, etc.-- just know what you're going into. If you're taking pictures indoors, feel free to tidy up a bit. The focus should be on your family, not the socks on the floor! (Or*cough cough* the basket of laundry that's been waiting to be folded in the corner!)

- Take some test shots to make sure that's where you want to shoot. Here, I snapped a picture of Sofia to make sure the lighting was okay and the colors looked good on camera. And speaking of light...

- Light is everything when it comes to taking pictures! Shoot in nice natural light that isn't too bright. I happen to know that our room gets great soft light in the morning, so this was one reason we chose to shoot our family pictures right in our home. Plus, I loved the idea of taking pictures of our family in the places where we are most comfortable and most ourselves.

- Set your expectations low if you have young kids! One of the most important lessons I've learned about photographing kids, and especially taking family pictures, is that children aren't robots--they usually might do what you want (if you're lucky) but be ready for some giggles, silly faces, and lots of wiggles. Go with it!

- Don't think you'll get the perfect picture on the first try! Or second. Or third. Or maybe tenth! When finally getting "the" shot we loved best, we actually had already taken about a dozen self timer photos. And you know what was the best part? Oscar decided to hug me at the last minute. So that moment felt very real and very genuine. And very cute!

For our pictures, we got some help from JCPenney and their new lifestyle line, Peyton & Parker. This affordable collection offers perfect pieces that coodinate so well, and there's something for each member of the family. While coordinating pieces can't force your kids to cooperate, they do make it easier for getting picture ready.