How often do you do professional photos?

[countthestars]

We had photos done in October of last year and I'm trying to decide when to do them again. I really loved having pro photos for our holiday cards, but I do also have all of my kid's daycare photos from early summer that accurately capture what they look like now. How often do you do pro photos? Just the kids? Full family?

[sarahbear]

Every 2.5 years so far. Next ones will probably be 3 to 4 year stretch. We do full family every time. I don't do professionals of the kids in between besides school photos. I just don't need that many professional photos.

[ssmjlm]

About every other year. We did them at 4 and I think I'm going to do some in the fall. Maybe just a mini session.

[vtdiamond]

We've done them once a year as a family and use one of those for our holiday card.  We only do mini sessions and they have been adequate. 

The kids daycare does pics in the spring and fall as well.

[icedcoffee]

I don't buy school (daycare) photos. I'd rather spend the money on good family photos. So far we have done them annually for holiday cards. My H and I were just recently talking about this though and whether we'd rather do another fall picture or maybe wait a few months and do a family shot while I am (hopefully) pregnant next Spring. I never did maternity pics with DS1 so that would be our chance. I don't know though. I think once a year for pictures is a good and reasonable goal.

[icedcoffee]

Jul 31, 2018 10:04:26 GMT -5 vtdiamond said:

We've done them once a year as a family and use one of those for our holiday card.  We only do mini sessions and they have been adequate. 

The kids daycare does pics in the spring and fall as well.

Oh yeah--we did a mini session last fall and it was more than enough.  I'm actually glad that's all we did because at the end of it DS was DONE.

[linz]

We only did family pics for our newborn sessions. With my twins we have had their pictures taken each year for their birthday. Now that we also have DD she is getting 6 mos, 12 mos, then I will start doing them once a year with all 3. Their bdays are October and February so will probably just do fall or something.

[linz]

And our daycare doesn't do photos. Once they are in school I probably won't do professional as often.

[raangoli]

We have been doing them annually. I love pictures and having them is important to me. I was telling MH that I need to book for the fall. We get them done in September/October and use them for our holiday card. I also have a large print made of one that we display.

[numbers]

Usually twice a year- once in the spring or summer (we did a session at the beach on vacation this year), and once in the fall for Christmas cards.

Mostly just the kids, with a few family shots.

[mbcdefg]

We've never done them but I'd really like to.

DD's daycare has done "school photos" in the fall and then in the late spring. 

We have no really nice family photos, so I'd like it for that and also to maybe get a nice headshot I can use for work-related things. 

My birthday's in October ... maybe I'll ask for that as my gift?

[pinotgrig]

Twice a year - for their b-day party in the summer and in the fall for Christmas cards. I always say I won’t buy their daycare pics but then I always do, lol. So 2 real pro and then 2 from daycare each year.

The b-day ones are a mix of candid and posed pics of immediate fam and extended fam. The fall minis are a mix of the 4 of us and just the boys. The daycare pics are obvs just them, both individually and together.

I joke that pictures are my love language. The boys had NB, 3, 6, 9, and 12 month pics done; 95% of those included solo, kid, and individual shots. All our pro pics are on FB if you want to see how we did the more recent ones. Most photogs will do a good blend of kids and full family without much prompting.

[hamster]

I plan to do them for C's first birthday, eventually maternity and newborn photos and that child's eventual first birthday. After that I'd like to them sporadically but probably not every year.

I haven't told H this, lol.

[gt7301b]

Am I the only ones who thinks the daycare photos are crap? I know they aren't that expensive compared to a family session, but I can get better pics with my phone.

So far we have done 1-2 sessions a year. This year we did a birthday session and are doing a fall mini session. I found a photographer who I like that is on the "cheaper" end of what seems to be the norm around us, so i don't mind doing two sessions this year. I like getting the pictures of all of us, cause most of the time I just end up with pics of DS.

[Susie]

I never have.  For a long time I didn't think I needed them because I was happy with the quality of photos I could take of Hobbes myself.  But for family photos when I hand my camera to someone else, they're never (even close to) what I want.  Always centered weird, or over exposed, or out of focus, or whatever.  Even when I try to make it easy!  So I continue to DIY pics of dogs/kids, but would like to do pro family pics.  Just a mini session would be fine, I just haven't landed on a photographer whose work I like and whose availability I can get into.  I usually attempt family pics once a year or so.  I'd be happy with pro family pics at that interval.

ETA:  I always buy the annual daycare pics, but mostly just for the class group photo.  They always kill me.  This year Hobbes had a great smile in her portrait too.  It's not a photography style I love (very old school, school pictures) but the nostalgia!  lol.

[redheadk]

Oh. Kind of a lot now that I see what everyone else does.

This year, we've done spring photos (that double as her 5 year pics) and family beach pics. I didn't buy her school pictures, her smile was weird and you could tell she was uncomfortable. We have back-to-school pictures booked and we'll do professional Santa/Christmas pictures in November. We do 3-4 a year.

ETA: We also purchase her ballet recital photos (individual and group) and soccer photos once a year (individual, group is included with fee). 

[countthestars]

Our daycare photos came out really good this year! Like Susie, it's not my favorite picture style but for what I paid I definitely wanted copies!

[tealblue]

I do them every year. It’s important to me to and I love photos!

I did a special me and the kids session earlier this year and planned to do a family one this fall... my mil did a last minute family session a few weeks ago when all her kids and grandkids were in town. We got some of me, DH and the kids... so if those turn out decent, I’ll cancel my fall session because that’s just too much.

Edit: daycare pics are just in the fall and DS1 has school pics in fall and spring. So I bought packages of both. I’m such a sucker.

[starryfish]

Our daughter is still young so we do them at least 1x a year and then buy some of the cruise professional photos. When she gets older probably every other year or so. And get a cheap $22 cruise family photo every year.

[Ashley&Scott]

With our oldest we did them every 3 months for the first year then every 6 months until he was 3, then yearly after that. 

Unfortunately is hasn't quite worked out that way with DS2. He's 14 months now, so far we have done professional newborn, 3mo & 13 mo. I was hoping to do a 9 month session as well but my dad passed away around that time so it just wasn't possible. DS2 will be 18 months around Thanksgiving so I'll try to book a mini session then. I do try to make it a point to pull out my DSLR more at home so at least we have nice photos of him at various stages.  

All of our professional photos are full family with various combinations of each of us. (Individuals of the kids, kids together, DH with boys, me with boys, me & DH, etc)

ETA - Professional pics or even candid family pics were something I didn't have as a kid so I make it a point to get/take them now. I'm very sentimental about pictures, I treasure the few family photos I do have from my childhood so I want to make sure there are plenty for my kids to look back on. For the last 5 years or so I've brought my tripod to family functions & we take extended family pics. My brothers used to grumble in the moment but recently they've thanked me for capturing these moments. Your perspective really changes when you lose a loved one. 

[shauni27]

oh god, never. We did some when S was first born and we did a mini session a couple of weeks ago. Other than that, we have a friend who has a nice camera and she just takes a few family photos of us every fall for our holiday card. That's it.

[lolo]

It's been more or less annually since J was born.

[Mrs.flang]

We had them done last August when DD turned 1 and I want to do them again this year in October/November (when it's cooler out), as combo family pics and maternity pics.  Then I'll probably want them the year after for baby #2's 1st birthday. LOL!  I could definitely get behind doing them annually at least while the kids are still little.

[kdubs923]

For both kids, we had a one year package. Newborn, 6ish months, 1 year session.

When we had just DS, his sessions were just for him (but got family pictures during the newborn session). When DD was born, we did the same one year package, but threw DS and us in a few pictures just to get some decent family pictures.

The kids birthdays are in Oct & Nov, so we've done either a fall or winter mini session. Mostly of them, but DH and I jump into a picture or two. DH is terrible about taking my picture with the kids, so I just want to exist in something other than selfies.

Daycare takes their pictures twice a year and they've come out great and are reasonably priced, so I've bought those also.

I love pictures!

[krystee]

We do them annually, but this year will be twice because we had E's newborn session in January and we'll do fall mini session in October.

We may go to every other year as they get older, or do something different like get a photo shoot at Disney or on the beach when we're on vacation rather than our typical fall minis.

[HoneySpider]

Just when we have a newborn

[brooke77]

We are planning on doing them annually. Photos are something I really cherish, so the money is worth it to me.

[mpc]

So far we have done it once a year, in the oct/nov. They are not fall or christmas themed, though, just family photos. This baby is due in early Oct so we are combining family and newborn shots.

[lo]

Like, a lot. Once with the whole fam, but I get them of just the kids several more times. I like them!

[cricketwife]

Our daycare photos are twice a year and they always get a good one of each kid but DS1 won’t be in daycare anymore. We have done family photos about 2x per year becuase I have done 6ish month and 1 year photos for each kid and we also do a family session at the same time. I think we will level off with once per year now, although I was super happy with our spring mini session and may just do minis every spring and fall. It seems like a lot, but they are literally the only pictures I am ever in with my kids. Even if I hand the camera to my husband and ask him to take one, it’s like he is actually trying to take the worst photo ever. Seriously. It’s ridiculous.