Organizing family photos for any time of the year can be a stressful task for most people, including myself! I’m here to share my experience with the amazing “Simply Taken Photography” and how I prepared the family ahead of time!
Finding the Right Photographer
The first thing you should do is start looking for a photographer that fits your needs. I started searching local photographers in Syracuse, NY and asking around. Side note* I am the program director for an Early Childhood Education Center that my family owns so every year around the holidays we receive TONS of Christmas cards from our families and Simply Taken Photography were always some of my favorites!
Colleen and Andrea are the photographers and let me tell you, they are amazing! After speaking with them I knew they’re bubbly personalities would be perfect for our photoshoot. They are two adorable moms who will show up to your photo session ready to go. This year was FREEZING and they still were just as excited to shoot. Having two photographers shooting at once is such an advantage because they feed off of each other, sharing ideas the entire time, and catching every angle. They are so patient with kids, and every year Cash just loves smiling for them because they’re fun!
One thing that is so important to me when taking family photos is that the photographer listens to your requests and visions yet adds in their professional opinions and helps makes those visions come to life. And Colleen and Andrea exceeded my expectations with this! They listen and try to have so much fun while doing it which makes the whole family happy!
Finding A Location
Finding a location can be SO hard in Syracuse. Colleen and Andrea knew of some really pretty locations to shoot at. Major plus because it’s one less thing I had to worry about. We went to a local farm in my hometown, Abbott Farms, that had barns, fields and orchards so that we could get lots of different, natural shots and I loved it for this shoot.
Luckily it snowed a couple nights before our shoot so everything looked beautiful. Weather plays a huge role in photos, so make sure your photographer can be somewhat flexible with days in case of weather delays.
Planning Your Outfits
Now for the hard part- outfit planning! Even as a fashion/style blogger this part is always so hard for me because I overthink everything. Something really important to remember is to make sure you’re not too “matchy, matchy.” Yes, you want to match, but add different patterns and textures to everyone’s look. My mother-in-law bought this Burberry shirt for Cash for the photos and I styled the rest based off of that. The Burberry pattern in this setting was perfect because it offset the white snow. I paired his shirt with black pants from Carters and black Vans shoes.
Ready for this? My entire look is from TARGET! Family photo styling does not always need to cost you a fortune. Every single thing I’m wearing was from target and not because I couldn’t find anything else but because target killed it with the adorable holiday styles this year. I saw this red skirt in the early fall months and knew it would be perfect for family photos. The pop of red is such a WOW factor for the holidays. I paired it with a simple black, fuzzy sweater and then added more texture with the leopard print belt and booties. This would be a fun holiday look for any event you’re attending this year.
Finally, Chris is wearing his favorite jeans, and a quarter-zip marled sweater. Men are usually the easiest to style in my opinion because they’re outfits can be so simple. His boots are Taft boots.
SHOP LOOK #1
Add Your Own Personal Touch
Adding fun details can really take your photos to the next level. Colleen and Andrea always allow me to bring fun props to the photoshoot (usually my mother-in-law takes care of this part lol!) and we shoot a few photos with the props. Adding a cute sled, simple green wreath or a chair are just some ideas for you.
Outfit Change
This by no means is necessary, but I love to get some shots in another outfit too so that I have more than just the holiday photos to frame around my house. Here are details for our second looks. This look was shot in a field across the street form Abbott Farms in front of an old barn and I love it!
SHOP CASH’S LOOK #2
SHOP MY LOOK #2
SHOP CHRIS’ LOOK #2
A HUGE thank you to Colleen and Andrea from Simply Taken Photography for capturing such beautiful moments that our family can cherish forever. Book your session with them now! They also offer mini sessions for those of you who want a few quick shots!
XOXO,
Morgan
*Thank you Simply Taken Photography for sponsoring this post!!