Family Photos: Operation Chill-Out

Last night we had family pictures taken. I decided I was going to force myself to be chill about it. In my practicum workshops I talked about perfectionism, and I used family photos as an example of an area of life where we often want perfection. We talked about the pros and cons to expecting perfection in family pictures.

Many people shared stories of their own family photos and how, at the time, they were so upset about the way their photos turned out, but years later (now that their kids are much older), they love their old family photos and no longer see the flaws that they were so worried about.

In the presentation I did last week, I talked about stress, and I again used the scenario of family photos to get my point across. I told my class that I had an appointment for family photos on Tuesday and that they were welcome to check up on me Wednesday to see if I practiced what I preached.

As part of Operation Chill-Out, I decided I was going to let my kids pick what they wanted to wear. This meant there would be no coordinating outfits, and there was a pretty good chance someone would show up in pajamas (I lucked out, and this didn't happen). I knew Nicky would want to wear one of his Hawaiian shirts that I hate (this did happen), and that there would be outfits that didn't fit the season.

(I almost backed out of this several times. I had to re-convince myself over and over to stick with this plan).

I also decided not to be too fussy about hair or anything else, which worked out really well because I ended up only having 15 minutes from the time we got home from school until we needed to leave for pictures. It was just enough time to give everyone a piece of pizza and make them change their clothes. Aside from the wardrobe change, we went as we were (I do have to confess that I'd curled my girls' hair for school that day to increase the chances of them having decent hair).

Nicky chose his Hawaiian shirt and shorts, Daisy picked a purple shirt and jeans, Zoe wore a black and pink floral dress, and Eva wore a coral and gold Moana dress. I got a little crazy and stayed in the clothes I'd worn all day - they were still relatively clean, an unusual occurrence, so why mess with a good thing?

During the session, I let the kids pick the backdrops for their individual photos. I had two kids take off their shoes, and Eva took off the jacket I'd put on with her dress, so she was in spaghetti straps. Zoe kept rubbing her head on the walls which would make her hair stand up. It was chaotic and imperfect, but I was chill.

I got the link to my photo gallery late last night, and here is what I gained from this experiment:

• It was much less stressful than any photo shoot I've ever done with the kids
• I spent far less money because I didn't buy any clothes or "stuff" for the photos (and as a side note, the shirt I wore came from DI)
• The photos suit my kids personalities perfectly - they are them in the pictures. They are wearing outfits that they wear all the time, and everything else from their facial expressions to their lack of shoes is honest and real 

The photos are far from perfect, but they are no less perfect than they would have been with matching outfits, dolled up hair, and coordinated backdrops. We didn't get any decent pictures of the kids in a group, which is always a risk when you try and get pictures of kids (Zoe kept trying to strangle Daisy, and Eva refused to be in a group shot, which is why the photographer sneakily snapped the above photo). But their individual photos turned out pretty good, and we got ONE decent family shot. Overall, I am pleased.