Shutter Sisters

the (kinda dreaded, to be totally honest with you) annual holiday family portrait

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Okay so never mind calling it our Annual Holiday Family Portrait. I’m thinking maybe the Annual New Years’ Family Portrait. Or the Annual Valentine’s Family Portrait. Or perhaps the Annual Anything Other Than Christmas Family Portrait. A strange thing, it is, to desperately bargain with ones’ stubborn self. I think that’s called sado-masochism. Except this breed of it is marginally less fun.

It’s too cold. We give him a hat. He wants chocolate. He gets chocolate. His hands get chocolatey. He wants his Lego, but not near his grabby brother. He’s hungry. He’s full. He needs a swedish massage, a week of sleep, and a brain transplant.

Like I said, I’m stubborn, compelled to rebel against the firing-squad-in-front-of-the-christmas-tree setup. I wanted something different. Something wintery, but not cliche. Something unique, but relatively easy. Something thoughtful, but quick. A mere 18 frames into it and I’m already JUST PROP THEM UP IN FRONT OF THE EFFING TREE AND LET’S BE DONE WITH IT ALREADY. I’m kidding. But I’m totally not.

Help, sisters. Share with me your holiday portraits. The ones you compromised on. The ones you felt indifferent about, but obligated to produce. The ones that were a surprise. The ones you laboured on. The ones that overcame the expected. The ones that thrilled you. I want it all.

Comments

  1. Well, I still haven’t had the energy to deal with it. So a couple weeks ago I gave up on the whole thing. I’ll link back here for the New Year? Easter? Valentines? Will I ever have it in me to go through it again?

  10. I’ve given up on any annual holiday themed portrait of any kind.

    I’m the only one that ever wants it so I just shoot on the sly now.

    It usually works out much better that way and I don’t have to go through detox for stress eating all the sugar in sight.

    Funny post though … I feel your pain it used to happen for me in the pumpkin patch every year.

  13. Last year it rained and rained and rained for WEEKS … finally had a 15 minute break in the weather and headed to the muddy field near out home. Got three decent shots of my two kids amidst all of the complaining and then went home. It was already so late in the year, and I was so grumpy and not in the mood, I made the decision to start a new tradition … New Year cards. Everyone loves them and it TOTALLY takes the pressure off.

  15. We don’t have any kids, so that part is easy. And getting the cat to cooperate just takes a few treats held in front of the camera. So we always have fun doing these and love to hear that people look forward to seeing them. This year I’ve already gotten 4 emails asking when they can expect their card. Haha… They’re in the mail today, I promise!

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/dxeechick/4203925502/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/dxeechick/4203926430/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/dxeechick/4203926994/

  20. i’m with you on this one, kate. this year, i had BIG plans with color and cool and unique. AGAIN. but then after baths and clothes and snippy arguments with my husband, it rained. so we did cute t-shirts and shots against my favorite well-lit WHITE wall here at home. and still 200 shots later, there were 3 good ones. 🙂

  21. my mother is ALWAYS in search of the christmas card photo…never mind that most years she never manages to actually send the photos. luckily we are old enough to be less grabby and (marginally) more compliant about sitting pretty in front of something. and old enough that we don’t change enough throughout the year to make pics taken in midsummer inaccurate. 😀

    i’m 29 and i hate being forced into pasted-smile pics. i guess you never outgrow it!

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilybeth29/3674577874/in/set-72157594587517465/

  24. this was an impromptu card…we were just heading out to play in the snow, didnt even bring the camera out…then the next thing i know they had a snowman and was asking for hats and scarves for him
    i went back in grabbed the camera while getting the snowman’s carrot nose…then we managed to pull this together
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/bgq82/4204636266/

  25. By far my most favorite holiday card I’ve ever received was from a friend, who did the effen tree shot, but with a camera on a timer, and it is hilarious because

    1) she’s barely in the shot because she wasn’t fast enough
    2) kid #1 is holding onto the dog’s collar and the
    3) dog is first and foremost in the photo, all out of proportion and
    4) kid #2 is screaming while being held by
    5) hubby who is doing his best to pry kid #2’s fingers out of his eyeballs
    6) I got it in mid-January

    The card said: Belated Happy Holidays from our crazy family. Because even in this time of perfection, we sure as hell aren’t perfect.

    It was so refreshing and REAL.

  28. I plain just didn’t get around to it this year….but looking at all these has made me laugh, eased my guilt and inspired me for next year. If i start now, I might get one good shot for next year’s card. Being in Florida, it looks the same in June as it does in December, so I’m not even limited by the season! 🙂

  30. http://www.flickr.com/photos/colopyfam/4205463412/

    I generally have to prepare them ahead of time (especially the boys – my husband the most!) that I am going to take some family pics and it can be torture, which is funny because I take all kinds of pictures all the time, but sometimes you just need a shot of us all together!

    This is my favorite from this year.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/colopyfam/3724768375/in/photostream/

    Others
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/colopyfam/sets/72157603577680860/

  34. I think your shots are perfect for a Christmas card because they tell a story of love. The look of love and concern, especially the hug from the little one in the last shot says it all. Mail it as is!!

  35. About a week ago , I gave up. Saturday was sunny and bright, but my son wanted to see a movie instead of be in pictures. The next day, we packed the dog and the camera in the car to pick out our tree, but when we got to the farm, there was a sign saying all animals had to stay in the car. Plus it was raining. So, no pictures. I realized it was stressing me too much. I was the only one who wanted to do it, anyway. I do love getting the photo Christmas cards, though, so I want to keep sending them.

  36. I have yet found the need to take holiday portraits – no family – but rest assured I enjoy all the hilarious stories I hear from all of my shutter sisters. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to throw my own into the pot. 🙂