Family Photos w/ The Family Pet

I love seeing family photography where the family pet is included.  They're a family member too!  (gone are the days when dogs were strictly outside/backyard dogs...now they're literally a cherished member of the family.)

Courtesy of: MyFoxyFamily.com

Its funny, our dogs even sleep in bed with us!  I wouldn't have it any other way...

If you're like me and want to think of creative ways to have your family pet in the family photo, here are some really cute options by some phenominal photographers and beautiful families.

Family Photos:



Daniela DeGrassi Photography

Jackie Culmer Photography

Jackie Culmer Photography

Whitney Owens Designs Photography

Newborn Introduction:

Elena S. Blair Photography

Newborn Photos:

Sweet Feet Photography



Tara Romasanta Photography



Avenue B Photography

(I just love these big labs resting their heads on newborns - so adorable!)

Engagement Photos:

Amanda Pair Photography

Adrian Hitt Photography

Wedding Photos:



The Nichols Photography

Children with their Pets:



Beth Jansen Photography

Photographer Unkown

Boggio Studios

Diana Leventhal Photography

Senior Photos:



Oak Stream Senior Photography

Banyan Pet Photography

Quick Family Photos

While attending a wedding over the weekend, I realized that my husband, daughter and I were all dressed up and couldn't resist the urge to get a few photos of us.  ....and well, while we're taking photos, we might as well try to make them the best we can get, right?  We were also in a beautiful location (on a ranch) and they had this amazing red barn....again, couldn't resist.  Thanks to my always helpful brother-in-law....I asked him if he would snap a few shots of us against the red wall.  (Little did he know what he was getting himself into...)  Here's what we ended up with...he did a pretty good job!

I took these ones of my little one afterwards.  (I should mention that there was a large bounce house inflated right behind me so her attention was slightly distracted)   

Not bad for a set of family photos on a whim....and we're even color coordinating coincidentally.  I used my kit lens and some photoshop and that's it.  I'm very happy with how they turned out.

My Favorite Family Photo Ideas

This is a compilation of my favorite family photo ideas.  There are so many to choose from nowadays and you want to be creative and/or different, but also stay true to your sense of style or taste.

Color Coordinated Photos

Color coordination is always what makes family portraits appealing to me.  The photo below is a perfect example of how nice it is when everyone is coordinated and the photographer has found a location that suits the wardrobe colors.  I love how this family took a beautiful and organized photo, and then took another chaotic but still beautiful photo.

Photo By: Ashlee Raubach Photography

                                              Photo by: ashleeraubachphotography.com

Photoshoot Inspiration - Five Great Photoshoot Ideas

Chase Jarvis has some great ideas in this blog post regarding photoshoot inspiration.  I especially love the grandma/grandpa photoshoot idea.  To capture your grandma and/or grandpa from every angle and to photograph their hands would be such a magical bonding experience. 

Chase Jarvis: 5 Photoshoot Ideas Worth Stealing

I actually shot some great ones of my hubby's grandma Ruby who was 89 years old at the time.  She lived with us for a couple of years and our dogs really took a liking to her...I'm glad I got the pictures I did because sadly she's no longer with us, but I still cherish the photos I took of her and the little trinkets she gave me over the years.  Here's my favorite of the many photos I took of her:  (Keep in mind that I was using a little digital camera at the time)

Despite the quality of the image, I still think I should try editing this photo in Photoshop to clean it up a little bit since I've always wanted to frame it somewhere in our house.   Such an amazing lady, with some great stories to share with us!  For some reason, I just love this photo and how the sun is playing off the side of her face.  Thinking of you Granny Goose.

Family Photo Albums

Here are some great ideas posted by Susan Keller on iheartfaces.com on how to put together a family photo album.  She does a beautiful job putting the photo grids/collages together to  make them look seamless.

How to Make a Great Family Photo Album
 
Here are some of the examples she used in photos:

This style is more of 1 page of larger photos and the 2nd page with a photo grid.  (which is the style I tend to choose more often than not...)

Family Photo Color Schemes - Love This