Professional photos are excellent for including in greeting cards and charting the growth of your family over the years. As you get ready to take holiday photos this season, consider hiring a photographer instead of setting up a tripod and using a timer. This will produce better results than having an untrained friend or neighbor shoot the pictures. Use the following guide to learn more about why you should book a professional family photography session for the holidays.

Why Should You Hire a Professional for Family Holiday Photographs?

1. Beautiful Scenery

A professional photographer can transform an ordinary setting into a memorable and magical one. They’ll select a unique indoor or outdoor location, providing props and decor to bring the scene to life. They can also make suggestions for clothing to help bring out everyone’s best features, creating color harmony in the photo composition.

2. Professional Experience

Photographers with experience and education know how to choose the right angles and use lighting to capture flattering family portraits. They also know how to utilize the correct lenses, shutter speed, and other camera features to ensure perfectly-timed shots with the proper amount of exposure. This will prevent you from worrying about whether the photos will turn out dark, blurry, or washed out.

3. Fresh Perspective

If you usually take holiday photos in the same settings or from similar angles, a professional photographer can put a fresh spin on your annual pictures. They often have unique ideas for family photography shoots, such as capturing shots of you bonding and baking gingerbread cookies with your kids or taking portraits in a beach scene to send warmth to holiday greeting card recipients.

4. Expert Editing & Retouching 

Professionals are well-versed in photography and editing software, such as Adobe® Photoshop® and Lightroom®. These programs allow for cropping to enhance focal points, balancing to enrich colors, and adjusting the exposure to make sure all aspects of the portraits look flawless. Expert editing and retouching will ensure that your holiday photos look flattering.

Create beautiful family heirlooms and commemorate special occasions with professional family portraits from Meredith Struebing Photography. She provides family photography, maternity photos, and newborn pictures to clients throughout St. Charles, MO. Call (636) 255-4679 to book an appointment for a family photo shoot, and visit the website to browse through galleries of her work.