If you are a family that has an annual portrait taken, your family may dread the photo session time. Perhaps you do it around the holidays and everyone dons red sweaters and the photo ends up on your Christmas cards. Maybe each spring you trudge off to the photographer and a pic is snapped in your Easter finery. These photos are cute, but they often neglect to capture the true spirit of your family. The poses can be uncomfortable, the smiles are faked, and there is nothing genuine about the shot. Instead of sticking with tradition, why not try something new? Once a great photograph has been taken, display it over the mantel or living room sofa with a battery operated picture light. battery picture lights highlight the photo so it becomes the centerpiece of the room, which should be the purpose. Instead of sticking another hokey family shot in the hallway and having your kids chuckle when they walk by, find a professional photographer who will work with your family to find just the right balance between great artistic quality and capturing the true spirit of your family.

Maybe your family loves the same hobby. Do you and your spouse want the kids to take up golf? Imagine how cute a portrait in family golf attire would be. Are weekend trips to the beach more your style? All of you can don your swimsuits and have the photo taken with beach balls and colorful beach towels surrounding you. Are all of you more the snow bunny types? Gear up in your skis and winter coats and head to the photographer. All of these themed photos are a better reflection of your family than the standard goofy photo. The photos may still seem silly, but they capture the best memories your family has.

A creative way to use themed photograph is to reflect on the year and have the photo taken based on something from your memory bank. For instance, if the best family memory of the year was adopting a new puppy, be sure to have the new family pet in this year’s photo. If you all took a trip to the south, climb into period costumes and snap the photo. Was there a big news event that capture the attention of the globe? Dig out the newspaper from that day and get it into the photograph. This way you can add world events to your personal history in a natural way. Imagine how fun it would be to have a picture of your grandparents holding a paper featuring the moon landing headline.

There are lots of options for those who want creative, fun family portraits.