Are Professional Family Portraits Worth It?

Yes. Professional family portraits are worth it because they give you more than a quick picture.

A professional gets everybody in the frame, helps the whole family look good, and gives you finished portraits you can keep for years.

You should still take pictures with your phone. Take the selfies. Take the birthday pictures. Take the random pictures around the house.

Those matter too.

A professional family portrait session just gives you something different.

What Makes Professional Family Portraits Worth It?

Let's start with what you're actually paying for.

Everyone Gets to Be in the Portrait

You know how it goes.

Somebody has to hold the phone, so somebody is usually missing from the picture.

With a professional session, everybody gets to be in the portrait.

I can photograph the whole family together, then break things down into smaller groups.

That way, you actually have portraits of everyone together instead of always having one person behind the camera.

You Don't Have to Figure Out Posing on Your Own

One of the things I hear all the time is:

"I'm awkward in pictures."

That's okay.

You don't need to know how to pose for family portraits before your session.

I guide you through it. I help with where to stand, where to look, what to do with your hands, and when everybody needs to move a little closer.

My job is to help the whole family look good.

If there are five people in the portrait, I don't want only two people looking good while everybody else gets forgotten.

One Angle Doesn't Work for Everybody

This is something people don't always think about with family portraits.

One angle might work for one person and not work as well for somebody else.

I can change where people stand, how they're turned, where I'm shooting from, and how everyone fits together in the portrait.

Those small adjustments can make a big difference, especially with bigger families.

You Get Different Family Portrait Combinations

A family session isn't one portrait of everybody together and we're done.

I break the family down into different combinations.

That can include:

• Everybody together

• Mom and Dad

• The kids together

• Mom with the kids

• Dad with the kids

• Siblings

• Other combinations that make sense for your family

That gives you more variety instead of leaving the session with one family portrait.

Sometimes one of those smaller group portraits ends up meaning just as much later.

Your Final Portraits Are Professionally Finished

The portraits you choose are professionally retouched.

That can include removing unwanted blemishes, reducing bags under the eyes, and whitening eyes or teeth when needed.

I'm not trying to change what you look like.

I want the finished portrait to look clean and polished while you still look like you.

If you're also wondering what a professional family session costs, I break down the pricing in my family photography cost guide for Central Texas.

You Are Recording Family History

This is the biggest reason professional family portraits are worth it to me.

You're recording your family.

Kids grow up.

Parents get older.

Families change.

You might look at a portrait today and just think it's a good family portrait.

Years from now, it can mean a lot more.

I've been photographing people for 17 years, and one thing I've learned is that people come back to these portraits.

Parents cherish them now.

Kids can appreciate them more when they're older.

At some point, somebody is going to be glad you took that portrait.

Why Family Portraits Matter So Much to Me

This part is personal.

I lost my mom when I was young.

I only have two pictures of her.

That's it.

I can't go back and take more.

I'm also from New Orleans, and after Hurricane Katrina, I lost a lot. That taught me how quickly things can change and how things you thought would always be there can disappear.

That's why I always tell people:

Life is short. Record it.

I know what it's like to wish you had more pictures of somebody and know there's nothing you can do about it now.

Family portraits aren't only for you.

One day your kids may want them.

Then their kids may want them.

That's family history.

Family Portraits Don't Replace Everyday Pictures

I'm not telling anybody to stop taking pictures with their phone.

Keep taking them.

Take the vacation pictures.

Take the birthday pictures.

Take the silly pictures.

Take pictures when everybody is just sitting around the house.

Those pictures matter too.

A professional family portrait session does something different.

Everybody is there. Nobody has to hold the camera. I'm watching the posing, the angles, and how everybody looks together.

There's room for both.

So, Are Professional Family Portraits Worth It?

Yes.

For me, it's bigger than having a nice portrait.

You're recording your family while you have the chance.

You may love that portrait today, but years from now, you or your kids may appreciate it for a completely different reason.

Life is short. Record it.

Family Portrait Session FAQs

What makes professional family portraits different from pictures taken

on a phone?

Phone pictures are great for everyday life. A professional portrait session gives you someone who can guide the posing, work with different angles, photograph different family combinations, and professionally retouch the portraits you choose.

What kinds of family portraits do you take during a session?

I photograph the whole family together and then break things down. That can include parents together, siblings, kids together, each parent with the kids, and other combinations that fit your family.

Will you help us pose if we feel awkward?

Yes. You don't need to know how to pose before your session. I'll guide you through it and tell you what to do so you're not standing there trying to figure everything out yourself.

Ready to Book Your Family Portrait Session?

If it's been a while since everybody was actually in the same portrait, take a look at my family photography sessions in Killeen, TX and start planning your session.