This portrait is of me, my mom, my grandmother, and my great-grandmother. I was about seven when this photo was taken. I know that the intention was to take a similar photo every year – four generations of daughters and women. But unfortunately, this is the only photo of all four of us together.
I am determined to have amazing family pictures, and I think having photo traditions are an excellent way to do this. Taking a yearly photo shows growth and change – and if you display the photos all together, even better.
Children – especially babies – are great subjects for photo traditions because of how quickly they change. My series of photos of Annabel in the same chair is awesome:
It’s so easy – find a location, or an object, that your child can pose with every month. After the first year, babies don’t change as quickly, so you can take pictures less-often. But I fully intend to take pictures of Annabel in that chair until the day she leaves for college.
Some other easy family photo traditions:
- In front of the Christmas tree
- Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
- The first day of school
- Birthdays
Family photo traditions are so easy – we just have to remember to bring our cameras and snap away.
What are some of your photo traditions? Leave ideas in the comments, or upload examples to the TSAM Photo Fun Flickr group so we can compliment and learn from each other (If you don’t have a flickr account, just link to your photos in the comments).
Want more tips on family photography? You can find them here thanks to HP, my awesome photo partners.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
One thing I always do in family pictures is incorporate a dragonfly for my daughter who was stillborn. Usually I wear a dragonfly necklace. Just today my mom and I were talking about getting family pictures taken and my mom asked me how we could incorporate a dragonfly in the picture. This was especially touching to me because I’ve never told her I do this.
Holli (B’s Mom)´s last [type] ..G GIVEAWAY
My friend did her son sitting with the same Curious George doll every month…Was a great way to see fast he was growing! Wish I thought of it!
Last year we had a BBQ to celebrate Canada Day and we had a family picture taken in front of our dogwood. We want to make the party, and the portrait, a tradition.
I see so much of Maddie in your eyes in that 4-generation photo. It’s very striking! Love it.
I do have a Flickr account, but my favorite example of a photo tradition is all of my daughter’s first day of school photos so far. I have them all together on FB, so here is the link that that album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114153&id=720877018&l=67c48e4fb7
Cindy´s last [type] ..Just because I like to remember
Oh wow, I see Maddie in your apple-y cheeks and your mama’s too
Looks like all 5 of you had them really 
We have taken a picture of my two sons in front of a pine tree that was planted the month my youngest was born. The first two years the boys were bigger. Now, thirteen years later the tree is huge!!! And we still take the picture.
We took pictures of our kids in the bathtub (appropriate pictures of course – just from the waist up) every month, starting with their first baths through when they turned two. We picked this location because it’s simple, and allows the camera to focus on the kids. I love our results, and as with your pictures of Annie in the chair, it’s a blast to look at all of the pictures one right after another and see them grow up before our eyes!
You look very much like your mom at her age in the photo! Sad that you only have one pic all together, but at the same very fortunate that you do. We should all try to take as many pics of family as we can – and note those in them. It’s been entertaining to watch my folks trying to name all the people in old photos that were passed down to them!
Amie´s last [type] ..Sometimes It Just Comes to You
I love the photos of Annie, but I have to say, it made me laugh to picture a surely 17 year old wedged into that thing :O)
I can predict that the chair itself will become a treasured family heirloom.
feefifoto´s last [type] ..One Small Strike Against School Bullying
Hey Heather,
I LOVE your idea to mark Annie’s month by month. You can not only see how she changed physically but you can also see her development growth as well.
We are HUGE picture takers here as well. We also do the 1st day of school but too be honest, we take pictures a lot.
Thanks for showing us the picture of you as a child. I smiled and thought “Oh, so that’s where Maddie got her blonde hair from”.
Hope you’re having a good weekend.
Take Care.
Jenn xo
every year my family and I take an “extended arm” self portrait, at the beach. It started when our first was 5 weeks old and we wanted to document his first time… last year’s photo had four people, instead of three.
I remember commenting “one of these days the boys will be too heavy and too tall to hold for the photo”
Every year on November 1st, before we head to the graveyard with the boys, we sit down and take a family photo. It’s SO neat to see how everyone changes so much. We have one photo from a couple of years ago where both kids are in tears . . . but we took it anyway!
Expat Mom´s last [type] ..Right Now
My sister has a videotape (yes, we’re that old) of my nephew standing in front of their Christmas tree, where each year she videoed him standing there for a 10, 15 seconds or so – same spot, same tape. The next year, she taped where she left off. She started when he was 1 and is 21 now. It’s so cute to watch that tape and see him “grow up”. She was so good about doing it too. She packed it up every year with her decorations so it was never taped over or erased.
I have not done this, but a neat idea I have heard about is to put your newborn in a dress or shirt of yours or husbands and each year take a picture if them in it.
Love the 4-generation photo. I have one of my twin and myself with our mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Like you, we only got around to doing it once, when my sister and I were about a year old. It makes me sad that I’ll never be able to do it with my own children (when I have them…none yet!) as all my grandparents and great-grandparents have passed away.
For both my Daughter and Son I had monthly pictures taken at my local JCPenny’s, I did a theme every month and brought in my own props. It wasn’t expensive, I had coupons for prints and then at the end of the year I put every picture into a “year mat.” The frame of their first year photos hangs in each other their rooms and is one of my most treasure processions. I tell all new Moms that, “you can never take too many photos, you can only regret not taking enough.” They grow so quickly and I am so glad I have photos to go with my amazing memories!
SkynGavMerMommy´s last [type] ..Government Shutdown
HA! I have the exact same photo – but with me, my mom, my grandmother, and my daughter, and we are all named “Megan”! Four generations of “Megan”. We used to refer to each other as “megan #1″ and so on. Fun. We need to do more of these things – even if it is to harass the kids with when they are grown!
Megan@TrueDaughter´s last [type] ..Surrender
I take a picture of my boys every year on the first day of school with them walking away from me with their backpacks strapped to their backs and the school in the background.
Looking back at how MUCH they have grown makes me teary eyed every time!!
Dawn @ What’s Around the Next Bend?´s last [type] ..Sometimes I even impress myself
We have our “family portrait” every year with the mall Santa. It may not be the most original or even the most fun, but it’s something we do every year regardless, so it’s turned into our yearly fan shot as well.
Well I totally stole a photo idea from you. I take a picture of my baby boy every month with the blocks. Thanks for the great idea. I am huge into taking pictures. My daughter is 3 and she has 10 photo albums full already!!!! I enjoy your pictures so much.
we try to take yearly pics, one picture that I love to take is my now 2 year old who was a 28 weeker, every month till he was one and now every 6 months I try and take his picture holding a little sign ( that was huge when he was born) we had it on the incubator and I like seeing how big he has gotten with it.
I do need to take more pictures though and share them more
Love that picture!!
I love this idea! I want to start it with all my kids….even if I’m a little late on the 5 and 3 year olds.
My biggest problem is remembering to take out the camera. Why is that part so difficult?
I feel inspired though. Taking a photo, somewhere, today.
The photo of your daughter on the chair is adorable by the way. I LOVE her dark hair….so cute!
The Mommy Therapy´s last [type] ..Working For The Weekend
i certainly see a strong resemblance between you and maddie<3
Great tips! Thanks for sharing.
KristeenMarie´s last [type] ..Family Easter Pictures