The Holidays are one of my favorite times of the year. There is so much excitement everywhere you look. Between the lights, the family plans, the traditions, and everything in between, everyone is full of excitement and ready to celebrate. Obviously, the past two years have been a little different, which has been hard on so many people. This is why more than ever it is important that you have photos taken if you have an opportunity that you all are together, or if you can’t be all together it’s nice to have some photos to share with your loved ones. In this post, we will go over why you need family photos during the Holidays, how to use them, and some of my favorite locations in St Charles to take photos around the Holidays.
Why You Need Holiday Photos
Things Change
If you couldn’t tell by the yearly round up that everyone posts to Insta around new years a LOT can change in just a year ! This is why it is SO important that you have photos taken every year to highlight all your accomplishments from the previous year and celebrate how far you’ve come. It's also so fun to be able to look back and reminisce on where you were at at that time of your life !
The holidays go by fast, photos help you to slow down
Why do your sessions by the Holidays you might ask? Oftentimes the Holidays are the only time of the year where your family makes it a priority to be all together. This is why the Holidays are the perfect opportunity to schedule your family photo session. With so much going on and so many people to talk to and get together with it can seem like the Holidays just fly by, having a photo session helps you to take a moment to yourself and enjoy where you're at in this moment.
They make for great gifts
Not only do the sessions themselves make for great gifts for your partner or family members, but the final product makes for a phenomenal gift to all those special people in your life that have it all. These days your family and friends see photos of you all day long on places like social media, but for the family members that don’t have social media, it’s important to make sure some photos get to them as well ! Even for your family members that are on social media a physical copy of a photo has so much more meaning and personal feel than just scrolling on social media so they still make for great gifts. Order a handful of photo prints to carry with you through the holiday season and give them as a gift to your family members and loved ones.
They make for a perfect update to your home
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into a friend and family member's home and their only family photos on their wall are from 10 years ago. Or even more common, there aren’t any photos at all ! Having your memories on display throughout your home is SO important and a Holiday session is the perfect time to get new photos. Between the cute cozy outfits, the snow and lights outside and all your family around a Holiday session makes for the perfect opportunity to update your house's photos.
They preserve your old traditions and even start new ones
You might not always live where you do right now, you might not always be able to spend the weekends making cookies with your fam, that’s why it is so important to document some of these memories. Your session could also become the reason your family finally commits to getting together every year. Make a new Holiday tradition with your photo session so you'll have memories from each year to look back on and you'll have one more reason to get together with Family members for the Holidays !
How you can use them
There’s nothing I love more than walking into a client or friend's home and seeing updated photos throughout their home. There is something so fun about updating your photos, it gives your guests a new view into your life and gives you the opportunity to share what you’ve been up to. There are a LOT of other ways to use your photos that you get from your Holiday sessions, but these have to be my top three.
Holiday Gifts
One of the EASIEST gifts you can get for those family members that might already have everything is a picture of you ! Family members LOVE to get new photos, as mentioned above there's just something so much more personal and meaningful to a physical photo as opposed to them just seeing your newest post on Insta.
Greeting Cards
With Covid really messing with many Holiday plans, good old snail mail has become such a fun and light way to reconnect again with your friends and loved ones. It's such a fun surprise to get some new photos of someone you care about and there's no pressure to it what so ever !
Photo Books
Not only are they great gifts for friends and family members, but they are also great gifts for yourself. Photo books make for great coffee table décor that you and any guests you have over can look through. As the years go by you'll be able to look back on your photo books and really get a sense of how far you've come and how your lives have changed over the years.
A bonus fun Holiday idea, save your family's Holiday greeting from every year and make a photo book of them ! It’s so much fun to look back and see how your family has changed over the years.
What kind of session should you have?
At Home Session
Pop on your favorite pajamas, snuggle by the fire and cuddle with your fur babies, let’s take some photos around your home ! At home photo sessions are the PERFECT Holiday spot for your session. You don’t have to worry about the weather, you can take as long as you need to get ready, and it makes for such great memories to look back on !
Holiday Tradition Session
Let’s decorate the tree, make gingerbread houses, decorate cookies for Valentines day, or make sprinkle filled pancakes. Whatever traditions you and your loved ones have lets document these moments for your Holiday session. Every family is different and so are their traditions making them the perfect setting for a Holiday photos that fit YOU !
A Vacation Session
Heading out of town for the Holidays? Hire a photographer to capture some memories for your vacation ! A Holiday session is such a great way to capture who you are and where you're at in that moment, so why not capture some memories from your vacation so you'll always be able to look back and remember your trip in detail !
Embrace the Holiday Lights
For the ones who want to brave the winter weather and get outside for a more adventurous session, checking out those holiday lights is the way to go. Take a night stroll around your neighborhood or your local downtown and get some pictures with all of the gorgeous holiday lights on display.
Where in St Charles to take your Holiday Photos
St Charles and neighboring towns are all known for their Holiday celebrations. Whether you’re heading to the Holiday walk in Downtown St. Charles, or popping into the Little Traveler to pick out an ornament for your sister, there are so many ways to celebrate. While you’re prepping for the Holidays, schedule a session to document some of your traditions.
While there are SO many good spots for Holiday photos in the St. Charles area, here are my top four locations for photos this Holiday season.
Baker Memorial Park
Doused with lights Baker Memorial Park is such a gorgeous spot to soak in the New Year and enjoy some of the Holiday lights. This park is a winter wonderland with a little bit of snow, between the soft display of lights, it really can't have better Holiday energy.
Main Street Near the Fox River
The fox river in the winter is next level. Though it is pretty in the spring and summer, there is just something about the icy river, a light snow dusting that makes for such a beautiful backdrop. Start your night with some coffee or hot chocolate from Kava Diem then swing through the rest of the Main Street Strip. I love the classic look of St. Charles' Holiday decor. This year they even had a Christmas tree trail with over 50 decorated Christmas trees lining the riverwalk!
Downtown Geneva
Sip some hot chocolate at Grahams and wander around the Christmas lights for your Holiday session. I love incorporating activities into your session to help you and your family members relax, while also trying to help you feel natural in front of the photos. After that walk along 3rd street to soak in some of the Holiday hustle and bustle and snap some photos among the lights!
The Holidays are such a wonderful time of year. Being around your family and loved ones makes the season so special and lead to some truly amazing memories, all the more reason to have Holiday photos taken with your family to capture these moments. If you're looking to book a holiday session of your own check out my contact page so we can get to planning !
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