[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”Natalie L.” link=”” color=”#8C76AF” class=”” size=”16″]This has got to be the COOLEST Christmas card that I have ever seen! Incredible shot![/perfectpullquote]
Well, this family shoot was not even intended for Christmas cards but it is that time of the year now when I see many families hire a photographer for their traditional yearly sit-togethers. Seeing those beautiful but rather predictable portraits made me think of a slightly different approach to family photography, and I had a perfect family for that!
Inna and Co. are friends of my make-believe “daughter’s” parents (I know it’s confusing, here’s an explanation). They’ve been eyeing my photographic experiments for years and finally approached me with the very request of creating non-traditional family photography. Upon discussing their lifestyle, we set the time frame for the extended photoshoot and I headed to their house in New Jersey. The scope did call for a longer shoot as there were two strong unrelated themes and this is the first of them (second—even rougher and dirtier—to be published next).
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”La Luna” link=”” color=”#8C76AF” class=”” size=”16″]I thought it was a promo for a TV show. Great idea![/perfectpullquote]
I secured some safe and traditional family shots for them but what I am merrily presenting here is what I loved the most—silly, wacky, or dramatic outtakes. Most editors would possibly file them away as “misses” and in fact, I recovered some of them after the second walk-through.  I omitted the “normal” portraits and show mostly “in-betweens” which are often the funniest. For the cover, I asked these sweet people to play a “Don’t mess with us” card. Wouldn’t one of these be a refreshing addition to the repertoire of your friends who get your yearly holiday cards? I am sure your family members would remember such Christmas cards for quite longer than the previous ten. 🙂 Talk to your photographer about unveiling your canny potential next time!
Click images for full size. Kindly refrain from re-uploading images to social media during the first week of feature. Share instead!
Don’t miss the dirty second part of this family portrait session in a few days, here’s a preview:
