family self-portraits

We have gotten pretty used to taking our own family portraits. We like to do it here at our house, because it's where we like to be :) and because we are lucky enough to have some pretty spots right here in our own yard and because we can't seem to get it together enough to schedule a shoot around the weather, goose-eggs and holidays, ha! This year was made easier by the fact that my new camera works with the remote shutter my husband got me for Christmas a couple years ago, but that did not work with my old camera!

I am super happy with how they turned out and I ordered a bunch to include with family Christmas gifts yesterday!

 This next one is the one we ordered for gifts and cards, I love it!!

Another favorite:

Here are my self-portrait tips:

• Scope out poses that you like online or on Pinterest. Here is my "photo inspiration" board if you want to check it out. 
• If you're using a self-timer, know that you're going to need to get up and set it several times per pose--therefore, tell the kids to stay put! They usually want to see it right away and it only takes longer if everyone gets up and runs to the camera. 
• Use the kids--my 5-year-old took the above photo of Casey and I. I got the settings right and she snapped away. I took the time recently to teach her how to focus on the right things and now she does awesome. (Just always be sure the child is wearing the camera's neck strap. Just in case ;)
• Sitting poses are almost always better (I think this goes for all family portraits) because heads can be closer together and they're just more interesting. They also allow for better use of backdrops. A fence can be a cool backdrop, for example, but not if there's an ugly shed behind it, right where your heads are. Squat down, though, and all you see is fence. 
• Teach your kids to smile. Ha! That sounds funny, but my kids had a tendency to smile weird for pictures, so we practiced before we took them this time. I also sometimes tell them to just laugh and that brings out a more natural smile too.