7 Holiday Photo Tips: How to Be in the Family Pictures and in the Moment too

As the holidays approach, families begin preparing for family gatherings, delicious meals, and cherished traditions. It's one of the most photographed times of the year, with countless candid moments and posed family photos to treasure for years to come. But if you're always the one behind the camera, you might notice a glaring absence in those snapshots: you.

This year, let’s change that! As a family portrait photographer, we want to share our top tips for being both in the pictures and fully present to soak in the joy of the holidays.

1. Set Up a "Photo Zone"

Designate a specific area in your home as a photo-friendly spot. Whether it’s in front of a decorated tree, by a cozy fireplace, or against a simple wall with festive accents, having a set location makes it easy to gather people for quick group shots. Set up a tripod, and use the self timer feature on your phone so you can jump into the frame easily.

2. Ask for Help

You don’t need to be the sole photographer. Hand the camera or phone to a family member or friend and let them take the family pictures too! Most people are more than happy to help, you just have to ask for it. Pro Tip: The more you’re willing to let go of perfection, the more relaxed and genuine the photos will be.

3. Take Pictures of the Candid Moments

Some of the best holiday memories are made when no one is “posing” for the camera. Set your camera or phone on a surface to capture spontaneous moments during gift exchanges, cooking, or game night. For a truly immersive experience, consider using a time-lapse feature or video mode, which can later be paused to grab stills of heartfelt interactions.

4. Plan One "Golden Hour" Family Portrait Session

Instead of trying to capture every moment, schedule a specific time for family pictures. Pro Tip: Hire a photographer to take these family portraits! Especially if the whole family is together for the first time in ages! Make it fun and festive—wear matching pajamas, or gather before dinner in your holiday best. Once you’ve taken a few posed shots, put the camera away and enjoy the rest of the day.

5. Focus on Connection Over Perfection

Holiday pictures don’t have to be flawless to be meaningful. Embrace the messy, beautiful reality of the season. Whether it’s kids being silly, grandparents laughing, or the family dog sneaking into the shot, these imperfections tell the real story of your family’s celebration.

6. Print Your Favorite Family Pictures

While digital photo albums are convenient, there’s something magical about holding a printed photo of your family picture. After the holidays, take the time to print your favorite images. Whether it’s a framed photo on your mantel or a memory book to flip through, these tangible keepsakes will make all the effort worthwhile.

7. Give Yourself Permission to Put the Camera Down

Sometimes, the best way to be present is to not capture the moment. Trust that the memories you make will live on in your heart, even if they don’t make it into your family photo album. Balancing photography and presence means knowing when to step back and simply enjoy the company of your loved ones.

This holiday season, commit to being part of the story—both in front of the camera and in the memories you’re creating. After all, years from now, your family will treasure the family pictures that show you were there, fully immersed in the joy of the season.

From our families to yours, happy holidays!

Find More Family Pictures in Rochester NY on the Blog

Cheers to 10 Years: Fairport NY Photographers

WARNING: Long post ahead. (In a good way.)

It took us a full year to pull the trigger. We met for hours, daily to plan and prepare. We worked on our branding. We researched our target market. We wrote a business plan. We did everything the books and our mentors told us to do.

And on January 3, 2013, we went to the county clerks and officially began Lori & Erin Photography.

10 years ago. A lifetime ago, and a blink of an eye all in one thought.

It hasn’t always been graceful, and we’ve overcome a lot.

For example:

- We’re constantly adapting to life with children.
- We’ve lost loved ones.
- A freaking global pandemic.
- We’ve had quarter life crisis. (I mean, c’mon, freaking global pandemic.)

And none of that takes into account the ups and downs of running a partnership business.

Who does what?
Who gets what?
What do we do when finances are down?
What direction should our future go?

No question about it, it’s hard as heck a blast to work with your best friend, every. single. day. But it’s been worth every hard thing. We’ve overcome a lot of challenges, and we’ve evolved in the past 10 years - personally and professionally.

To our spouses, our family, our friends, our fellow photographers.
To every single client who has become family.
To every person who has in some way been a part of our journey.
Thank you to each and every one of you who have supported us from day one. We truly love you.

Dang am I proud of us, because this year we celebrate 10 years of Lori & Erin Photography.

Cheers!

5 Ways to Make Your Holiday Card Stand Out

Ready to switch out your fall scented candles for your Christmas tree scent? If so, then I’m going to assume you’re planning your holiday cards too. This year, it feels like getting mail is a treat again - so why not do something to make your card stand out in the sea of 2020 holiday cards. Here’s a few ideas.

1) Make it Interactive:

If you’re going to send a holiday card, why not make it interesting? We have some fun designs to get you started. Or - what if you included some sort of activity for those with young kids? (Think coloring!) There are options out there - think outside the glittery holiday box!

2) Candid Portraits

Tired of seeing the same holiday props and smiles? Let the pictures on your holiday show off something real! Do something fun - snowball fights or ice skating, show off your moments, not your poses. If you need some ideas, check out our latest post: 5 Ways we can safely photograph your winter portrait session!

3) Make it Frame Worthy:

If you do it right, the beauty of the right size holiday card, is that Grandma can lovingly put it into a frame and keep you on display forever. We can help you out with that if you want!

4) Think Local:

Is there a local artist that you know of selling card designs? Show them your love this year, and encourage your friends and family by showing up for your local small businesses.

5) Send it in January:

You know when people need a pick me up? AFTER the holidays. After the tree comes down, and all that’s left is the wrapping paper bits you find throughout the house until February. Bonus factor: You don’t have to rush to get them completed. Some call it procrastination, I call it genius.

Thanks for stopping by! Let us know if we can help you create your holiday card, or it’s gorgeous photos this year!

Holiday Picture Gift Ideas: Rochester NY Photographers

It’s not even Thanksgiving - yeah, we get it. Believe us, we don’t love the idea anymore than you do. This year though, don’t we all need a little extra joy in our lives? And let’s be real, pictures will NEVER not be a great gift.

So if you need some ideas on what Grandma/Aunt Susie/Mom/etc etc would love to get from you here are a few of our most popular products this time of year:

1. Ornaments! We offer metal and loft ornaments. They're a perfect small gift for anyone on your list. Put your favorite photo on one side, with the year and a message on the back. Boom, custom, easy and done!

2. Float Wraps! This item has a wow-factor. It's unique, ready to hang (no worrying about frames!) and easy to order in any size from 8x8 to 24x36.

3. Holiday Cards! Don't waste hours searching through, and fighting with online sites. Let us create exactly what you are looking for. We have a lot of customizable options to fit the color and wording choices exactly as you desire.

4. Their own session! Maybe you don’t have the perfect gift yet. Guess what, no parent will EVER say no to a gift certificate so they can have their whole family together for a family session. (Or in this time of quarantine, for a future safe session.)

Need more ideas? You can browse our full catalog for inspiration!

Then call us and we'll make your holiday shopping personalized and thoughtful as well as easy, and most importantly, DONE!

The KonMari Method for Pictures: Rochester NY Photographers

It started with Lori - Over the course of the past year she has been in a constant state of decluttering. She followed along the lessons from the book below.

She inspired me to get my own photographs (and well, my life) better organized. So I've also been in the process of getting my own little house, a little less cluttered. With a two year old, their toys, and boxes of hand me down clothes piling up, things get more cluttered with every passing day. The struggle is real.

In the end, the biggest hurdle for both of us has been what to do with the boxes of pictures that were scattered all over the house. 

I am my family's historian.  I know that as time passes, I will inherit even more photographs from family. And that's ok with me.

Except, I already had a ridiculous amount of old photo albums, most of which made no sense. When I was younger I would just take prints I had and stick them all in one book randomly. On the same page of a cheap plastic album, I would put my own baby pictures alongside high school pictures (bad fashion and all).

So clearly, there was work to do. Someday I'll be leaving all of my history in the hands of my son and I can't leave that it in shambles.

Here's some of what I did to cleanup and a few tips that might help you with your own photo organization:

• Gather. Start by collecting all of the pictures you find (from every room) and put them in one location.

• Get photo boxes. Or something that works for you. My preference was the basic storage boxes (like these) you find at any craft store.

• Start sorting. Use as simple or complex a timeline as you wish. Personally, I kept it simple as there were a lot of photos I couldn't be sure of their dates. So I sorted by "childhood, high school, college, etc."

• Consolidate. If you can. I did, mostly for space reasons. I removed photos from old torn apart albums with the sticky plastic pages, and sorted them into boxes. I discarded photos that were too blurry, duplicates, or if they were people I just didn't remember. I kept any family pictures, ones that held special memories, or told a story about who I was. My thought process was simple: If I can't explain why that photo is important to my son, is that particular image worth keeping?

• Don't dwell. So what happens if you just can't bring yourself to get rid of anything at all? Just organize them and move on. You'll drive yourself crazy wondering what to keep and what to toss. Don't let it get to that.

• In my world, done is most of the time better than perfect. My kids won't care if I was 11 or 12 or 14 in any particular series of photos. So if you can set aside any potential OCDs, it will go faster than you think.

My final tip? Take your time, take breaks and enjoy the process. I found that it was actually fun to go through them, reliving moments and fondly remembering days gone by.

So whatever your process is, enjoy it, because this is your life - literally.

~ Erin

LucasP: Year 4

Yesterday I noticed that his feet are almost to the edge of his toddler bed.

Today, his beloved Star Wars light up shoes no longer fit him. Funny thing about that though - I only bought them two months ago. So in just the last two months, he's grown a full shoe size right before our eyes. 

The threenager stage of life is no joke. Terrible twos look like a beach vacation compared to three. The seemingly endless task of potty training, the wanting independence vs "You do it Mommy". The constant time outs and counting to three. It's exhausting for sure.

But we're proof that you do come out of the other side, and scattered among the time outs, are some pretty incredible moments.

Watching him overcome fears, and try the things he hasn't been able to do until now is amazing. His love for all things Super Hero / Star Wars has only grown as his understanding of them does also.

I've learned that he can be both shy and outgoing at the same time. I think he gets that from me. But when he makes a friend, he instantly says they are his "favorite friend." 

He loves going on "adventures" with Daddy - tent camping, hiking and s'mores. He's even created his own campfire dance, forever known to family as "the Sticky Icky Dance."

There were a lot of firsts within the past year that aren't shown in the photographs below. Some are from our portrait membership program, others are still sitting on my computer waiting to be edited. If I tried to include them all, this post would be 10x longer.

Since his last birthday, so many things have changed. I won't say they've all been great changes, but we're focusing on the good as often as possible. And here's hoping we will always be able to.

Happy 4th Birthday LucasP!

Love you too the moon and back, and beyond the stars,
Momma

10 Year Anniversary Session: An Italian Portrait Session

I told him we had to get up at 5:30 am for our session...on our vacation. He winced and said "ok." I know that after 10 years of marriage, there were more words he'd have liked to add to that. But he didn't and I love him for that.

"It feels like our wedding was just yesterday" isn't a true statement for me. It feels as though it was rightfully ten years ago, but not in a bad way. In a lot of ways, we're not the same people we were then.

And we're definitely not a perfect couple. Honestly, I don't know that such a thing exists. We procrastinate. We leave laundry in the basket for weeks. We have our bad habits that drive each other nuts. 

But we also have 10 (plus) years of history. He's my saving grace in times when I just can't. He lets me vent, cry and sometimes yell. He brings me flowers when I've got the flu. He's a terrific daddy to our son. He takes care of us, and loves us in his own quiet, daily ways.

To me, it feels like 10 years of building something, together - a home, a life, a family.

The quiet, practically empty square at Piazza San Marco greeted us, and all at once we knew it was worth it. There were no tourists, no vendors, no crowds - just us, and Siza (our photographer, who was amazing!!) and the beauty that is Venice in the morning.

It was instantly easy to let the romance of this moment wash over me. Was it Venice? Maybe, but more likely it was because of the realization of a dream we had shared for all 10 years of our marriage.

These photographs top any souvenir or bottle of wine we brought home from Italy. They'll live on long after the case of wine will. And they were worth every step of the last ten years.

Here's to the rest of our story,

~ Erin

PS - For you Matt, save this dance for me.
 

Celebrating 5 Years: Radio Social Anniversary Party

Oh my goodness, I think we're still processing it all.

It was almost like a wedding and a reunion mixed together. Lori and I couldn't stop smiling as we talked to everyone that joined us for our big five year anniversary bash at Radio Social.

We bowled, we played, we ate great food and amazing cake. Stepping back and taking it all in, we really have so much to be grateful for when it comes to this two person operation we've got going on.

After reflecting on the party, I realized something pretty big. This is wayyyy more than a two person operation.

It's taken a village, our tribe of amazing people who have supported us every step of the way. From clients and other photographer friends, to family members, amazing friends and our ultra patient spouses – we're never without someone to push us further, or pick us up when we need it most.

Thank you to those who came to celebrate with us. We have to especially thank Heather McKay of McKay's Photography (her's are the rounded corner photos below) for photographing the event for us, and Michelle Crawford of Shell's Sweets for the delicious cake!

And thank you to all those who have supported us - whether from close to home or afar. It's your referrals and your kind words that have allowed us to do what we love for five wonderful years.

Here's to the next chapter!

~ Erin (and Lori)

Photo by: McKay's Photography

Valentine's Day is For Everyone: Fairport NY Photographers

Valentine's Day. Whether your totally for it or tend to call it "amateur hour," it's a holiday that as photographers, we do not ignore. It doesn't come in one shape or size, but it does fit everyone.

We stand for love. And while yes, the traditional holiday is meant for romantic gestures between loves - it's also so much more. Romantic love isn't the only game in town.

Yes, love is a first kiss and a first dance.

But it's also a 60th wedding anniversary dance.

Love is cuddling your kids.

Love is cherishing time with grandparents.

Love is having everyone in the same place, because it's rare.

Love is sisters and brothers.

Love is an adorable pet.

Love is your girl squad.

Love is reminiscing over first dates together.

Love is holding hands through the hard stuff.

Love is enjoying the silly things.

Love, is whatever you want it to be. It's whatever moment means the most to you, with those you truly treasure.

Valentine's Day is for everyone, because love is everything.

Happy Valentine's Day!

~ Erin

Why you Should Print Your Family Pictures by a Photographer

AKA - Why I threw out my wedding pictures

Yeah, I said that. And yes - I really did just throw them away. As a photographer, it was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

Your current thoughts probably range from - "Ok?" to "What the $%&*? Erin - WHY?!"

Well... because they were useless to me.

Before you think my marriage just went down the drain, step away from the phone and refrain from texting me like a crazy person. I'm still happily married. I promise.

But, I really did throw away my wedding pictures. At least - the two burned CD's that they were living on in the bottom drawer of my desk. I know, they weren't even in a safe place.

I have the files still, I moved them to three different locations years ago. But the CD's were useless to me.

I threw them away because I don't have a device in my home that's capable of reading them anymore. Which is exactly what we've been preaching to our wedding clients and families for years now.

It's also why I made a wedding album. It's why I made a tangible, printed heirloom - so that one day, I won't have to realize that I have no way to share in the joy of those memories.

If you've got discs of photos lying around that you've never done anything with, I'm not surprised. If you want help making those discs into heirlooms - give us a call.

So that one day, you won't have to throw away your memories.

~ Erin

5 Years and Counting: Happy Anniversary Us!

So often we get caught up in the daily tasks of running a business that we forget to step back and look at all we've actually accomplished.

But not today. Today we're celebrating a milestone anniversary of us. Five years ago today, we made "Lori & Erin" official in the eyes of New York State - and we haven't looked back. In this industry, so many of us are independent and prefer to go it alone. So, finding a photography partnership can be a little like finding a unicorn. It's something rare.

For those that don't know our story, you can check out the recap in this post from earlier this week. Whether it was the Almighty, Buddha, or Yoda using The Force, I believe that finding each other and creating this business was meant to happen.

We've set goals and faced challenges. We've grown together, as well as individually into who we are and why we do it. We aren't the same people who started this journey. We're stronger and smarter and maybe a little bit crazier (in a good way). And all because we had an idea of a partnership over five years ago.

And it's also because of you. Looking back on all of these sessions has been wonderful. We're so grateful for each of your smiles. You have helped us grow. Thank you for putting your trust in us, year after year to help you treasure your relationships forever.

Here's to another five years!

Lori & Erin

PS - Here's a video recap of ALL five years, are you in it? 

 

Photo Christmas Gift Ideas

You've already had photos taken this year, but you never did anything with them. Now it's holiday season, and you just realized you need Christmas cards and gifts! Lucky for you photos are the gift that are cherished forever. They are above and beyond, more valuable than any trinket you'll find at the mall.

So if you need a little inspiration, here are a few of our most popular products this time of year:

1. Ornaments! We offer metal and loft ornaments. They're a perfect small gift for anyone on your list. Put your favorite photo on one side, with the year and a message on the back. Boom, custom, easy and done!

2. Float Wraps! This item has a wow-factor. It's unique, ready to hang (no worrying about frames!) and easy to order in any size from 8x8 to 24x36.

3. Holiday Cards! Don't waste hours searching through, and fighting with online sites. Let us create exactly what you are looking for. We have a lot of customizable options to fit the color and wording choices exactly as you desire.

Need more ideas? You can browse our full catalog for inspiration!

Then call us and we'll make your holiday shopping personalized and thoughtful as well as easy, and most importantly, DONE!

Our deadline for holiday orders is December 6th. So please don't wait til the last minute!