Family Photos - San Clemente,CA

After my dad died, we decided to do a family portrait every 2-4 years. We hadn't had a family portrait done in almost 20 years, and we regretted not having them.

We are doing one with my partner's side of the family this coming weekend, and my side in the fall. We always go to Portrait Innovations and they do a great job! We get a big family one and then they do the individual families and the kids together too.

For the record, I do photos on the side, pretty darn good ones, too! ;) I will do portraits of my extended family and all the kids, but I leave it to the professionals to do the big group! It's worth the money and time spent getting it done.

If you can and want a decent one, head to a studio. I take DD to Kiddie Kandids and my sister uses JC Penny. Or when people first arrive, head out to somewhere like the livingroom or patio and take some quick pictures. We try to get one group shot every Christmas.

I go to JcPenney and get our family photos done. We've done it about 4 times now maybe a few more, and were planning on doing it again soon. They do a great job, always friendly (at least at mine) and are helpful. And you would be surprised how many photos you can get for $20.

It's worth the money if you ask me, I love having family photos, and it's a nice memory.

We don't have a lot of money so we just invited a friend over for dinner and handed him our point and shoot camera, walked out into the yard and had him snap a few shots of the three of us together. No fancy background, no wacky poses. Just the three of us together, his cheek on mine and our kid in our arms so her head was below our chins. Everyone in the shot. Everyone smiling. Came out just fine.

We have one every 2-3 years or so. Not by a family member, despite having two photogs in the family. Family shouldn't use family for services unless it is very convenient and mutually beneficial. Skip that noise and make your own appointment if you want a portrait done.

Well we take a family photo every Christmas, but it's usually non professional! I make them into Christmas cards though and that way at least I have a record of it! This past year though I found an awesome coupon for Target Portrait Studios so I had our family pictures done there and they were adorable! I'm hoping I can find the same deal this year, it was way easier and they look a lot better! :)

Too much money... I want to though... Just have to talk my husband into it... The last time with my husband and I in them was our wedding 8 years ago. I did some with my daughter (the free sitting / 2 photos free type thing), but typically I take her photographs, edit as necessary etc.

We got a professional picture done at my Grandmother's 90th birthday party. My aunt paid a photojournalist to capture the day, as well as to do formal family pictures for anyone who wanted it.

Before that, the last family pic was, indeed, at our wedding, 7 yrs ago.

My husband bristles at the thought of it. Yup, we need one, but if it isn't a candid at an event, he's not going for it.

The last family photo we had taken was before our youngest was born! How bad is that?!
It's difficult b/c my step-daughter is only here 4-5x a year and it's usually around holidays or for a short time and it's crazy busy.

We finally had some done in march. And I love them! They Came framed and we got a USB with pics on it to share. It cost a lot but we aren't your tradional smile and pose jcp picture people:)

Walmart does so-so photos. But they're always offering some sort of free deal. They just called me the other day to schedule an 8 month photo shoot for DD. We can get a $30 photo for free (huge portrait picture). And a whole sheet of extras is like $10-20. If you're just wanting 1 updated family photo is a good idea to check out any deals you can find. We usually just go with the free offers or coupon deals.

Here's a cheap compromise, get that pseudo professional over your house or to come along for an outing at a good location, with digi cameras, and a change of clothes for everyone involved, you can get some really nice, frame and wall worthy photos, really, you can. Your backyard, the den, the shrubs, the front stoop, the porch, an adorandak chair, can all be good locations. heck, even the laundry line can present an interesting backdrop, if staged right.

we bought a pro package, where they come to our house once a year for the first 5 years. works out nicely for us, but some of the best pics we've gotten are those taken by my brother or mother in law.

good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

We also had an aversion to dept store photo studios but I started taking my kids to Sears when they were really young. Some of them turned out nice! I was surprised because it isn't that expensive.
Recently, we did a family photo there and my husband thought it would be a waste of time since it is "Sears" but there were some that were really decent! And now we have a nice family photo hanging in our living room. Just go and get it done - everyone will comment on how nice it is and you will feel good every time you look at it! :)

Check and see if you have a Portrait Innovations close to you. They usually have a deal around 9.95 for a bunch of pics. They do a great job and we are always pleased. Best wishes.