When to get the pics taken...

My boys are 18 mos, and I haven't had their pics taken since they turned 1!!! I know, it's horrible... So I'm going as soon as we get paid again... but with my daughter, I never encountered this dilemma... See, I don't know if I should just get pics of all the kids together (because I want some like that and I know that's what the family wants too) or should I get them by themselves as well, because they are still babies and I want to commemorate this age... but then I feel guilty not to also get some of my daughter by herself, because I'm always super-conscious of her not being left out (you know how everyone always gets so excited about the twins) but she just started Kindergarten, so she should be getting school pics, too... and my goodness professional pics are SO expensive... especially when you're talking about so many different poses and kiddie combos... so what do you do???

 

I just had this exact delimma. My childrens daycare took pictures and they did Individuals of each child and they took a group pic of all 4 of them. I liked two of the childrens individuals but not the other two, and the group pic was alright, but couldve been better. I would have felt bad if I got 2 of the kids pics and not the others, so I decided not to get any of the individuals, and I just got the group pic..
Im a terrible mother, cuz the only professional pictures I have of the twins are at 2 months old, when we got professional pics of the whole family, and they took pics of the twins in different poses too. Every other professional picture is of all of the children. (and they only got those b/c their daycare does them twice a year) I just cant afford to get pictures made all the time. And when I ordered these, the daycare director tells me, "Well all of them are going to get their picture taken on top of ponys in March, and then your oldest is going to have preschool graduation pics done in May" WOW! I have always purchased their pictures though.

 

I only get them taken professionally on their b-days. My oldest DD now gets her picture taken at school. I take plenty of good pictures of them throughout the year myself. We did get all 3 together at the firehouse, we got a free portrait for donating to them. But honestly, what I have done, is take a good picture myself and blow it up at Costco and it looks just as good, if I want a bigger one for a wall frame or something. But otherwise, I only do prof. pictures at their b-days.

 

I know the dilemma!!! I think there are so many pictures of my dd growing up just by herself and now school pics and soccer pics- that when we get pics done again for the boys it'll be just the boys -- a few individual and a few together. They have only had pics done once so far at 9 mos. old!!! When they are a bit older I'd like a family professional shot done... when I lose some weight too!!!!!
When my dd was little- we got shots of her every few months as Walmart had a portrait studio- they have since closed it! So, I won't feel bad not including her the next few times while the boys are little. She still has way more pics than they every will!!!!!
Lanie

 

We took my grandsons for their first professional pics at 4 months. (Strange time I know, but they were at my house for a visit and I couldn't resist!) Then we had pics made again at 1. Of course we got pics of the boys together and individually both times.

Now "Baby Bear" (grandson #3) is 4 months old. We will take him to the same place for professional pics sometime this month since his brothers' were taken at 4 months. Garrett will be the main subject but we'll also bring the big brothers and have a few group shots done. I don't know if we'll even do individual shots of the twins, because heaven forbid, if they do I'll want to buy them all ...

DD has expressed the desire to have individual pictures of each child on their birthdays (Apr, May) and pictures of them together sometime during the holiday. That would be close to their "half birthdays" which I think is a great idea. So we might find an inexpensive place to have Christmas portraits done this first year, like Target or Walmart, then after that we'll plan on having the full blown professional pics during the holidays with the photographer we love.

 

First of all, don't feel guilty - I've never had pro pics done of my boys!