Running from the Law: Spring Family Photos

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Spring Family Photos

Well, it's been a few months since I put my family through the drama, trauma and torture of yet another round of forced family photos...so naturally, it was about time. My amazing (and super patient) friend Jessica of Emma Constance Photography was hosting spring mini sessions at the Jewel Box at Forest Park a few weekends ago, so I signed us up for a 20 minute slot. I figured that even if no one cooperated and everything went wrong, we'd have only wasted 20 minutes of our lives instead of a full hour. Plus, bribery with candy is my go to way to get the kids to pay attention, so the shorter the session, the less harsh the resulting post-session sugar crash. Turns out this was a good call, because 20 minutes was about 18 minutes longer than my children could concentrate or cooperate, so we gave Jessica a lot of extra time to prepare for the next family. Seriously, she snapped all these photos within just a few minutes, in between tantrums and meltdowns and they turned out better than I could have imagined. 
Thank you Jessica for making us actually look normal and that we all kinda like each other. 
I love them.

Anyone else planning for spring or summer family photos? 
What are your tips for getting kids to cooperate?

34 comments:

  1. We're doing a mother's day mini session next day- just me and my boys. I did one a few years ago before I had my second son but I'm scared if I can handle both of them and it's at 6pm- this could be a nightmare!! Ha! I'm always so thankful to have professional pictures though so even if it's not perfect I'll be glad to have pictures! Your's are beautiful!

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  2. They turned out so beautiful!! Love your outfits and the kids honest faces. So sweet!

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  3. Aw, these did turn out beautiful. I love how natural and not so perfectly poised they are. Your family is just gorgeous. We don't have any plans for photos, but now I'm thinking we should.

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  4. Such beautiful photos! I told my husband that we have to do another set of family photos and he just gave me a look lol. They are definitely not his favorite thing, but I just love them!

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  5. These are great! I think they perfectly demonstrate the stage of life you're in and the personalities of your kids! The colors are great--both your outfits and the location. And I especially love the photos with just you and Mac/you and Mim!

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  6. Those are excellent for a couple minutes of shooting! My fave is the one of you and Mim in black and white.

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  7. Oh my gosh Sara they're beautiful - especially the ones of you and Mim - my favorite!!!

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  8. I can't believe there were tantrums involved in these pictures because they are all gorgeous! I absolutely LOVE the ones of you and Mim. There's one in particular and her face is just lit up with love! I think you might have shared it on Instagram a couple weeks ago. And then the one with Mac with his hands over his face and you laughing. I feel like I was there in the moment with you! These all turned out so amazing!

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  9. Sweet photos! We haven't done photos in awhile mostly because I'm not a big fan of my appearance!

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  10. The couldn't have turned out sweeter!!! Family pictures are always so stressful but the end results make it so worth it!

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  11. Oh they are perfect! I especially love the ones of you & Mim! So many sweet moments!

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  12. We just did a mini session because we had all of the grandparents in town (plus some aunts, uncles and cousins). It was chaotic...and candy was a necessity. We'll do our semi-annual session in early June for C's bday and then another one in November for R's bday. Thankfully, my girls are hams and generally cooperate although sweet treat bribes are almost always a necessity. So cute!

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  13. <3 <3 <3

    I love these and love you guys!!!

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  14. Oh aren't kids just wonderful!?! And oh boy do we bribe the heck out of Noah for photos... I guess it's the age! Love the photos you got in those 2 minutes!

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  15. I always feel with every shoot I do (kids or not) that my very favorite frames are the beginning ones. Plus I am all about candid and these are just my style - who wants everyone looking at the camera anyways?! Beautiful family!! Wish I was closer so I could snap some!

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  16. These are beautiful! I want to do a family photo shoot for my daughter's first birthday.. the last one we did was our engagement shoot! It's a struggle just with my husband I can't imagine now with a baby haha!

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  17. We're doing family photos next week. So you know, pray for me.

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  18. Beautiful pictures! I would have a difficult time choosing which ones to frame!

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  19. I love the idea of Spring photos! I'm taking some this weekend of C since he will be 3.5 on Saturday but we haven't had any taken of us as a family. You've inspired me to fix that!

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  20. Love the pictures of you and Mim!! And I especially love how annoyed/embarrased Mac always looks. Hilarious!

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  21. They all turned out wonderfully. You have a lovely family.

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  22. These are beautiful! Love them and how your personalities show through! :)

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  23. Oh my gosh, Mac is cracking me up! What a lil goof. Great pictures. I really think that the ones of you & Mim are so sweet. :)

    Have a good weekend!

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  24. These pictures are so great!

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  25. Sara, these are all so good. Jessica did an amazing job of capturing everyones personalities!!

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  26. Such a beautiful family!! Love how expressive both of your babies are!!

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  27. Beautiful family! I just love the personalities that Mac & Mim have. You can feel them from the computer screen!

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  28. I don't know what to say. This blog is fantastic. Thats not really a really huge statement, but its all I could come up with after reading this. You know so much about this subject. So much so that you made me want to learn more about it. Your blog is my stepping stone, my friend. Thanks for the heads up on this subject.

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  29. These are gorgeous! And you would have never known that tantrums ensued! You have such a beautiful family, Sara.

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  30. Wow, love these pictures! And I can't believe they were only taken in a few minutes. So gorgeous!

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  31. Beautiful photos! I especially love the ones with the tulips. Perfect setting!! I totally understand the torture of photo sessions!!!

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  32. Your family is precious and the backdrop is beautiful! Xo, Stephanie

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