It's Christmas card season, y'all. 

This mom planned ahead and asked her husband for a family photo session for her birthday this month. He made all the arrangements (even wrangling the kids) and she just had to show up! (And checked off getting the Christmas card photo in the process.) Sounds like the perfect type of gift to me! 

I think a lot of people get stressed at the thought of having photos taken - especially photos with kids! Will everyone look nice? Face the camera? Smile? Will I feel awkward? Will there be tears or tantrums? Will I end up with any photos that I'm proud to put up in my home (or give to other people to put up in THEIR homes)?

Stop - it's not that deep! Consider this: it's your photographer's job to make your family look great and to deliver photos you'll be excited to show off, not yours. That means I'll handle getting the kids to smile for the camera, but also I'll catch fun moments that aren't posed or planned. You might even enjoy the experience - simply hanging with your (unusually well-dressed) family in a picturesque spot!

This family shoot was a great example. The parents had a couple things in mind they wanted to capture, but the kids enjoyed suggesting poses and things they wanted to do, too! Awesome! We went with it and got such a variety of sweet family moments. And definitely no tears or tantrums ;)