Family Portrait Day

I am so excited!  It has been two months in the making/planning, and we are finally having our first professional photo shoot for family pictures!

So long to the pictures taken by passers-by (as shown above).  I want a big family portrait we can frame.  (Not exactly RHONJ Teresa style, but something I can hang on the wall with pride!)

Sure we have studio pictures of the kids all over the house, but I am so excited to have photos of our entire family. together. smiling. at the same time.

The last time I took professional photos was probably for my own wedding or a friend's wedding.  In those cases, I already knew what I would wear for the photos.  But for today's photo session, I still have no idea! 

Our photographer, Melissa of Melissa Vossler Photography, gave me the following advice on what to wear:

"What to wear? I always tell my clients to dress how they normally would, but maybe kick it up a notch! Bright colors are always ideal....nothing matchy (which means, don't all show up in white polos and khakis!), and don't be afraid of pattern (no logos!).  Most of all, make sure you are all comfortable and feel great! This session should really reflect your family. So if you all are relaxed and kick back - jeans and flip flops with a colorful tank is great. If you want something a little more classic - then dress it up a bit!"

So, that advice knocks out of contention the black top I was thinking of wearing, but that is okay.  I will figure something out.  Luckily, I do have cute clothes already picked out for the kids!

I also asked Melissa what we should expect.  Since our photo session is going to be outside in beautiful Southern California, she kept our role in the photo shoot pretty simple:

"While we're chatting, we'll be walking around and when I see the perfect light - I tell you where to stand, what to do, and then I let you kind of interact. You don't need to know what to do...that's what I'm there for. As long as you feel relaxed and are entering the session with the mindset of having fun - then you'll be golden. :)"

So all I have to do is show up and have fun...now I am even more excited!  Stay tuned for how the photo shoot turns out!

Happy Friday!