1) Come as you are… or something you’re not!

You get to be yourselves, while also acting silly. There are less expectations and “rules” with this informal-style of family portraiture. Let the kids be kids without any forced smiles or fake poses. Let the adults also be kids, and make memories with your family by engaging together in an activity rather than a traditional photo shoot.

2) Fuck the winter holiday conventions — make your own tradition

Be anything but boring. I’ve heard countless times how holiday (Christmas) cards end up in the trash after December 31. By sending out Halloween or random spooky greetings for the year instead, you can bottle up some magic that can last months on the fridge (and will likely be saved by your friends, neighbors, and family). I also believe you can tell so much about a kids personality by what they dress up as for Halloween or play pretend as. If you make this your own tradition, you’ll be able to create memories every year to look back on. “Remember when Brin LOVED Elmo so much she had to wear that costume for weeks after Halloween?”

3) Pick a theme — literally ANY theme

Circus performers, Hocus Pocus Characters, Pirates, Bandits, Smurfs — you think it up, we can make it happen and look really fucking cool. I personally think it’s so much more fun to organize around a theme and get creative with outfits, makeup, special effects, and props. Every one of these examples uses IN-CAMERA effects. There isn’t smoke or ai added in post-editing. I do this because I believe that these moments should be authentic and captured as they exist in real life.