It’s so hard keeping an idea of normalcy while my husband is deployed. My son and I spent most of the year traveling back and forth across the country visiting family. If I was honest with you, this was one of the hardest years I’ve had in a long time. This is exactly why our holiday photoshoot was so important this year. With everything else in chaos and very little stability, I wanted one normal memory for the year.
Our holiday photoshoot was with Portrait Innovations last year and it came out very adorable. It was an in-studio photoshoot with a few different backdrops which all came out great. I wanted something more creative and unique for this year’s holiday photoshoot. Dominic’s grandfather gifted him a toy jeep this Christmas. That toy jeep inspired my whole photoshoot. Obviously, there were some hiccups with my vision thanks to my son’s terrible twos and it being my first time. Not to mention my husband who is usually the assistant for my crazy ideas wasn’t here. Anywho, read all about my mistakes to make sure you have a flawless DIY holiday photoshoot.
Tips For A Flawless DIY Holiday Photoshoot
Pick A Location With Multiple Backdrops
I saw the cutest tall lit tree in a park near my house last week. My family has lived in this neighborhood for years. I’m talking 10+ years. Yet, I couldn’t remember a time that there was a Christmas tree in that park ever. I’m saying it was soooo adorable! So of course, it was definitely the perfect backdrop for my holiday photoshoot. Guess what I saw when I got there? The tall tree with rows of white lights that I so desperately wanted wasn’t lit when I got to the park. Plus, it was right in the middle of a bunch of dirt. I was devastated for a hot moment.
Luckily, the park had other backdrops for the picture. There was a huge statue that I used for our toy jeep shots together. The benches and leaf-lined trees were other backdrops that worked with Dominic’s solo shots. Always make sure that you can keep going even when one backdrop falls through. You’d hate to go through the trouble of bringing props, dressing up, and going to a location that can’t give you any pictures because of a failed backdrop.
Do A Test Run For Looks
Okay, this is especially important for moms like me still working on losing weight. I waited until the day of to put on the look that I wanted to wear from our holiday photoshoot. It’s a dress that I’ve worn before numerous times. So, I figured no worries, right? WRONG! Ugh, when I tell you how much I hated the look and felt like I had no other option.
If I would have done a test run for our outfits, I would have seen how unflattering my dress would have been for this photoshoot. Then, I would have been able to get a new one or change the whole theme. Put together everyone’s look in advance to make any necessary adjustments.
Pack All Your Props In Advance
Scrambling last minute in your holiday outfit with your toddler running around looking for your props is definitely not the way to go. Trust this amateur. I had to look for everything right before I walked out the door which made the holiday photoshoot stressful before it even started! This is something you’ll want to avoid especially if you have little ones. Dominic started playing with the ornaments and bows the night before. Basically, everything was out of place when I went to pack the props up for the holiday photoshoot. Avoid the chaos and prep in advance.
Practice Patience
Last but not least, have patience with this holiday photoshoot. I can’t stress this enough. My son was in need of a nap. My mom was cold and over taking pictures. Literally, I was the only one still focused on making this shoot happen for most of the duration. You need to have patience and continue to focus on your vision. Even if no one else does, make sure you stay focused on how you want your photoshoot to turn out.
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Accomplishing such a huge task last minute definitely made the situation stressful. This was the first time I’ve done a photoshoot with Dominic since we’ve been back from his father’s graduation. OMG! He is such a handful these days. Overall, when I saw how our pictures came out. It was definitely worth it.
How did you like our holiday photoshoot? Have you ever tried doing your own family photoshoot? How did it turn out?
Until next time…..
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Great tips! Sometimes when you have that one perfect spot in mind, you don’t think to have multiple backdrops available. Ha, and the most important tip of them all — practice patience!
Great tips for how to have a great photo shoot! I am going to use these when I shoot for my next blog post!
Good advice! I like the idea of doing a test run for looks – I hadn’t thought about that.
This is so cute! Such great tips! What a fun addition for the kid!
Yes, patience is KEY especially when having kiddos in the shot too! I try to batch shoot so we get several looks at once!
I have totally pulled the not try on my outfit ahead of time thing and had it backfire! I’ve ended up in tears because I hated everything so this tip to try on ahead of time really rings true for me!
First, I would like to thank you and your family for the sacrifices you make for me and mine. Second, you look gorgeous! These photos are so wonderful. (I can’t let my toddler see them because then he’ll want a Jeep, too. Lol.)