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Should You Do Your Family Portraits Every Year?

Should You Do Your Family Portraits Every Year?

In a world where time seems to fly by, family portraits offer a way to preserve precious moments, capture growth, and create a legacy of memories. Many families wonder: should we really do family portraits every year? With our years of experience capturing the evolving story of families like the Emmons, we’ve seen the impact that annual portraits can make. Here’s why an annual family portrait session is a priceless tradition to consider and how it can turn fleeting vacations into cherished memories.

Why Consider Annual Family Portraits?

Family photos aren’t just images; they’re memories frozen in time. Here’s why families are increasingly choosing to make yearly portraits a tradition:

Document Growth and Change

Children grow fast, and personalities evolve. From baby milestones to teenagers becoming young adults, annual family photos capture these changes year by year. They’re a visual story of each child’s journey and your family’s growth as a whole.

Capture Precious Milestones

Life is full of big and small milestones. An annual portrait session can highlight a new baby, an engagement, or even a fresh start after moving to a new home. These moments deserve to be documented, giving you memories to look back on and share with future generations.

Strengthen Family Bonds

Family portraits are more than just photographs; they’re experiences that bring families together. The annual tradition of gathering, smiling, and enjoying a moment together strengthens the bonds between family members, especially when paired with memorable vacations or holiday traditions.

Create a Visual Legacy

When you make yearly portraits part of your family’s rhythm, you’re creating a powerful visual legacy. Imagine your children flipping through years of family photos, reliving memories from each stage of life. These collections of photos become part of your family’s story and serve as priceless heirlooms.

Celebrate Your Family’s Unique Story

Your family is unique, and each year adds another chapter to your story. Annual family portraits offer a chance to capture not just faces, but personalities, relationships, and the unique love that makes your family yours. Each year, you get to showcase the ever-evolving dynamics and celebrate the people you love.

Real-Life Story: The Emmons Family

The Emmons family is a perfect example of how annual family portraits can beautifully capture the story of a family over time. Every year, we have the pleasure of photographing them during their family vacation, creating a beautiful timeline of memories from each session. Each year, the Emmons bring a new chapter to their session — sometimes with a new family member or a new milestone to celebrate. By turning their portraits into an annual tradition, they’ve preserved a legacy of love, joy, and growth that they’ll cherish forever.

Their experience shows that making family portraits an annual tradition is about more than just photos. It’s about creating memories, celebrating milestones, and coming together as a family, knowing that these images will serve as beautiful reminders of each passing year.

Tips for Creating an Annual Family Portrait Tradition

If you’re considering making annual family portraits a tradition, here are some tips to make each session enjoyable and memorable:

  • Choose Meaningful Locations – Select places that hold sentimental value or resonate with your family. Whether it’s a beloved vacation spot like the beach or your family home, these locations add personal significance to your photos.
  • Bring in Unique Themes or Color Schemes – Make each session stand out by choosing unique themes, color schemes, or seasonal details. This adds variety to your photos over the years while still feeling cohesive when viewed together.
  • Involve the Whole Family in Planning – Get everyone involved, especially kids, in planning the session. Let them choose a favorite outfit or a small prop that represents something special from the past year.
  • Schedule Around Family Vacations or Holidays – Coordinating your portraits with family vacations or holiday gatherings can make the experience more memorable and allows everyone to be in one place. It also helps you keep the tradition consistent year after year.
  • Embrace Imperfections – Each year will bring its unique quirks, from toddlers with missing teeth to pets stealing the spotlight. These small, imperfect moments add authenticity and show the real, beautiful story of your family.

Common Objections to Annual Portraits (and Why They’re Worth It)

“We Don’t Have the Time”

Life can get busy, but scheduling annual portraits doesn’t have to be a big production. Set aside one day each year — perhaps during a family vacation or holiday gathering — and make it a joyful family event.

“It’s an Investment”

Professional photos are an investment, but the memories and legacy they create are priceless. Annual photos are about more than just today; they’re something your children and grandchildren will cherish for years to come.

“We Have So Many Photos Already”

While phones are full of snapshots, professional family portraits capture your family in a polished, meaningful way that phone photos can’t always achieve. Plus, annual portraits create a cohesive, high-quality visual timeline of your family’s journey.

Preserve Your Family’s Story Year After Year

Annual family portraits provide a way to celebrate your family’s journey and create a legacy of memories. Just as we’ve seen with the Emmons family, making portraits part of your yearly tradition captures more than just faces; it captures the love, connection, and unique story that make your family who you are. Ready to begin a beautiful tradition of your own? Book your family session today, and let’s start preserving your cherished memories together!

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