Family Pictures

Family pictures are tough.

Here is a list of my problems:

1.  The more I learn about photography, the pickier I get.  That means that a lot of the cheaper photographers are out, because I look at their work and cringe.  I'm not saying my work is perfect - some of my work makes me cringe.  But . . . still.  If I'm going to pay you, you should be really good.  And you should match my style - a lot of people are really into sunbursts and tilts and everything, and I'm not.

2.  I have invested a sizeable chunk of money into my photography equipment.  That means that I get really cheap when it comes to paying for a photographer to take pictures of my family.  I've tried, but I just have a hard time paying someone to do something I have the equipment and the knowledge to do myself.

3.  Tyler doesn't look at a camera on a timer.  In fact, it is really hard to get Tyler to look at a camera with a person behind it.  Tyler is doing better and better with engaging with the people around him, but it still isn't all that perfect.  So if I'm in the shot, Tyler's not looking.  I mean, let's think about this from a kid perspective.  Why on earth should he smile at an inanimate object?  Especially the 14th time someone has asked him to do it in the last hour?

4.  I finally did break down over the summer and hire a friend to take pictures of my family.  We scheduled - her brother-in-law died in a car accident and the funeral was that day.  We rescheduled - it rained.  We rescheduled - it forecasted rain.  I finally told her to just forget about it.  I felt squeemish enough paying someone, so at that point I gave up.

5.  I need this picture to go on my Christmas card.  That means I need the actual image.  That means I can't use a photographer that only sells prints.  I know why they don't want to hand out DVDs with images.  It is their art, and they don't want people to mess with it.  But . . . I need the image.

With all that in mind, here is what I got this morning.

Basically, I had to take many of each shot.  I would take some on the timer, so I was in it, and then some with me behind the camera and making Tyler and Kaitlyn smile.  Then I photoshopped them together so everyone was smiling.  They aren't perfect - some people are more out of focus than others, and the highlights and shadows kinda bug me on the last one.  But I'm pretty happy with them!  I'm just glad my hubby put up with me trying to cram this in before we rushed down to the BYU game.  I just knew that another 60 degree and cloudy Saturday morning wasn't going to come around again before Christmas card time, so it was now or never!