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A Check List to Prepare for the Annual Family
Holiday Ordeal, Oops, I Mean Photo Shoot
By Susan Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology,
The EQ CoachT
It's a big tradition for many of us, whether
the 'family' to be photographed includes you,
your spouse and 4 kids; you in all your glory;
you and your animal companion; you and your
partner; or you and a large extended family.
Plan ahead and it will all go better. Make
a checklist. I will use "Christmas."
Please substitute the appropriate holiday.
1. Find your photographer.
You may have seen a photo in someone's
house you like. Or ask the local yenta or
a friend or your coach for a recommendation.
Or get on the Internet and read and look.
Here, for instance is what JustImagineInc
offers: "What we create: Soft and natural
photographs in comfortable settings; a choice
of media for finished prints; and an artist's
approach to photo enhancement using a combination
of technical skill and aesthetic vision
to create portraits to cherish for years
to come." View the photographer's portfolio.
If you see what you like and read, book
it! Decide on color, black and white, sepia
or art-ography. Here's some photo-art that
could give you a really exceptional holiday
card.
2. Check everyone's schedule and
book the appointment.
Then write it on everyone's calendar. Do
this early before the holiday social calendar
heats up. 10 am is a good time of day to
choose. If you have a wide range of hair
colors and skin tones, advise the photographer
and ask her what colors would look best.
Check on backgrounds and settings available.
If you have nearly white-haired toddlers,
as I did, advise the photographer because
they need special backgrounds.
3. Decide on a theme and get it
coordinated.
Maybe everyone's going to wear a white
shirt and khakis. Maybe it's red and green
and buttons and bows. No theme at all is
fine too, except "dressed up,"
but I'm thinking of the card I got where
one child was in a burgundy sweatshirt with
tennies, and the other in black Mary Jane's
with a crimson red velvet dress. Reds, particularly,
must be carefully supervised.
4. Get the clothes ready.
You may have to buy some. Get the rest
cleaned, pressed and laid out in a separate
place so they don't get messed up or worn
by accident. Unless you're a regular churchgoing
family or plan a barefoot shot, you may
need to get the children dress shoes; this
can make or break your photo. However, you
don't have to spend much. The camera doesn't
know Saks from Target from the Thrift Shop.
Remember to get accessories, like hair bows
and socks.
5. Book grooming appointments
for your two-legged and four-legged friends.
Hair cuts, hair styling, nails, and for
the pets -- special grooming appointments.
Plan this just right, so no one looks like
a baby bird.
6. A week before, go over expectations
with everyone.
This includes positive attitudes, who's
to do what, who washes whose hair and dresses
whom, when to be where and what to be wearing,
so everyone knows what to do when it's time
to man the battle stations. Put someone
in charge of watching the kids once dressed,
if you can. A sip of red Kool-Aid, a piece
of warm chocolate candy or a nice mud puddle,
and it's back to square one. Oh, and you
do have auxiliary outfits on hand for everyone,
don't you, because it'll happen. Take a
full set with you. It ain't over till the
fat lady sings.
7. The 24 hours before ...
Make sure everyone gets a good night's
sleep, and there's no sugar, blueberries
or chocolate milk for breakfast. Of course
you will have planned this around naps,
so everyone's rested. You know what will
make each person, including you, best able
to tolerate the, oops, I mean enjoy, the
experience. Take Celesa out and run her
around the block a few times. Sit and read
quietly with Reagan.
8. Muster ...
At the allotted time, everyone gets moving
and does what they're supposed to do. Then
move quickly to the car before the soufflé
drops.
9. Once at the photographers,
there's still work to do.
Someone must be in charge of watching the
kids and the dog because there's a whole
new environment to tear a dress on, or to
trip over, cry and be fat-lipped about.
Plan to appease little ones, because if
they have a tantrum, they'll end up blotchy
and puffy-eyed. It's only just this once.
But don't do it with candy; it will get
all over their mouth, hands, and outfit.
10. Work with and for the photographer.
Good as the photographer may be, you may
be more observant, and you certainly know
your kids and puppy dog better. Be aware
of the backgrounds and settings she's using
and be alert for a coffee cup she doesn't
see on the table, or the unsightly plant
in the garden when 2' to the left is sheer
beauty. Know that strobe light bouncing
off #1 son's blond head is going to be a
disaster, and that #2 son really looks cutest
when he's not smiling. Check the kids' parts,
see what's in their hands, who's got a shirttail
hanging out, or a collar sticking up, and
warn her to wait out Brittney's goofy grin
and then the real smile will come. Work
your EQ program. Don't make losing your
cool part of the holiday photo tradition.
Hey, how long can one hour be ... and you'll
have the memory for a lifetime.
One final recommendation: remember operant
conditioning. My 3 boys, one of whom was married
to me, hated getting their pictures taken,
so I planned a really fun activity immediately
afterward, so that would be paired with the
memory for the next year.
©Susan Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology,
The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc ,
coaching, distance learning courses, The
EQ Learning LabT, and The EQ eBook Library
- http://www.webstrategies.cc/ebooklibrary.html
. For photo art and gifts, try JustImagineInc,
http://www.justimagineinc.com
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