Family Photos

We have a tradition in our family of getting a yearly family portrait done. It's a tradition that actually goes back unbroken for 30 years now! Back when my mother got married, my grandmother asked for just one gift for Christmas: a family portrait of each of her children with their respective families. My mother, good to her word, has done just that. Then, when I got married seven years ago, my mother asked for the same thing from us. And through all the craziness of pregnancies and babies, we have managed to get it done.

Some years we hit the Wal-Mart portrait studio, some years we could only manage having my dad snap the photo here at home. This year we were able to get professional portraits done. I was really excited about this. Not only would the photos be well composed, outside, and have a casual air about them, but they would also be retouched to have the colours really pop. Amanda Tyas is a local photographer and her mini-session package was perfect for what we needed. The mini-session was only 30 minutes long, whereas a traditional session is 2 hours. Seriously, there is no way I could get my three young kids to sit for that long! It would have been a waste of money, since the longer sessions cost significantly more. Amanda also provides us with the digital files of the photos she touches up (between 10 and 15 shots) which allows us to get the size and quantity of each print we want, at a reasonable price.

The photo shoot was Saturday morning, bright and early at 8:30 am. This actually is the best time for us, since all the boys are well rested, fed, and ready for the day. We drove about 5 minutes out of Orangeville to the quaint little village of Alton. The leaves were brilliant, the air crisp, and the experience so much fun.

Here is a "sneak peak" of one photo. The rest will be delivered in the next couple of weeks, and if the others are like this one, I'm so excited!