Family Portraits

Our move to the Frozen North had many happy consequences, one in particular being the necessity of photographically chronicling the lives of our children for the grandparents back in Texas. We have a slew (that's Texan for a big bunch) of family portraits over the years, from professional to, ahem, less professional.

My Dad taught me early in life the joys of using a timer with your camera. It provides such wonderful informal family shots. Plus, you eliminate the trauma and chaos involved with getting young children dressed up and driving halfway around the country to the portrait studio, where you wait for what seems like hours as you attempt to keep the children 1)humored, 2)unwrinkled, 3)busy, and 4)fed.

It's just so much easier to pop it on the kids as you fall out of the car in your church clothes on Sunday, "Hey, why don't we get some pictures before lunch"?

We did this only once, with the following result. I think it is my favorite family picture.

 

Considering I wasn't sure I was going to be in the frame, I think mine looked pretty good. My Dear Professor had other things on his mind, like eating lunch. Major lesson for this photographer: fuller stomachs = better attitudes, especially important for the men in the picture.

Principessa always takes good pictures, in this case I think she was daydreaming of the New Kids on the Block.

The Preacher, our firstborn, managed to shine even with a haircut given by his Mom.

But for the life of me, I will never understand what was going through The Dreamer's mind.