We are not the family who goes out and gets their picture taken professionally.
In fact, we have only done this once and that was in March of 2009 and it coincided with Alexander’s first birthday.
Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVED the photos from that day.
Here are just a few

Again, I really liked the pictures and they were fairly inexpensive thanks to a coupon.
The only thing I didn’t like was that they were so staged.
I am not a fan of catching those perfectly planned and staged moments.
I prefer to capture my kids when they are being just who they are.
In 2009, we had a friend take a picture of us together at a family members wedding.
If you ask me, the result was much better than when we went into a studio to have them done.

This picture just represents our family so much better.
Especially since the little man is sitting there with a blank look on his face.
In fact, I liked this picture so much we used on our Christmas cards that same year.
The following year we took at family vacation and a stranger was kind enough to snap a picture of the five of us together (since I am usually the photographer).
Again, another picture I absolutely adore because it is our family and we are just being us.

Of course, once again the little dude has that dazed and confused look on his face but I still adore the picture.

After having our pictures taken by a professional and then just doing random family shots, I have to say the pictures I enjoy the most are the ones we have taken at random moments. I love that this way we can capture each family members individuality. But, I do not promise that we won’t be donning matching apparel in the near future to take another family picture. What can I say, we are having a baby soon and the Packers are 7-0! I think once the little lady arrives we will be breaking out the Packer gear and getting another family shot in but I doubt we will do it in the studio with a professional. I’m thinking the family, a camera and Lambeau Field as the backdrop!

What is your favorite family photo and do you prefer the staged professional photos or the random moments in life?
Check out the Family Photo Days at Shutterfly, to help meet customer needs and to raise awareness of Shutterfly holiday cards, Shutterfly is planning “Family Photo Days” throughout November.   These have been very popular among  customers in the past on a smaller scale.  The objective is to generally drive inspiration around taking and creating a family photo (early enough so you can get it into a fantastic online holiday card), and raise awareness of Shutterfly as a provider of online holiday cards

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the Shutterfly Family Photo Day Campaign with Global Influence. I received compensation for my participation. All opinions are 100% mine.