With Mother's Day and Father's Day coming up, you may be considering a new framed family portrait as the perfect gift, especially if you have not had one done in awhile.  After all, our children grow and change so quickly.  To me, photos are the best way to capture their childhoods.  If you're like me, then you have had some great and some not-so-great experiences with young children and professional portrait sittings.  Let me share what I have come to learn about taking family portraits . . .

The main thing I have come to realize about taking portrait photos is that formal is not always better.  Your children can sit still and smile for the camera against a blue background during their school portraits, but a studio experience should be creative and fun.  Even when I take portraits of the children at home, the best photos are often the ones in which they are allowed to let loose.  Checkout these portrait ideas I have pinned on Pinterest.  There is such an imaginative use of composition, props, and angles.  Which photo concept is your favorite?

If you would like to have a portrait done before Mother's Day or Father's Day, you can snag an amazing deal during the month of April at your local JCPenney Portrait Studio.  Through April 30th, 2012 you can receive 6 Traditional Portrait Sheets for $20 plus one Free Sitting Fee (a $9 sitting fee applies to each person after the first).  You are allowed to mix and match photo sizes and you do not have to limit yourself to just one image.  You can even schedule a session online.

To find the closest JCPenny Portrait Studio to you, simply enter your zip code on JCPPortraits.com.  For even more portrait inspirations, visit the JCPPortrait Gallery and Pinterest page.


I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of jcpenney Portrait Studio. I was asked to create a Pinterest Board and pin at least five (5) pins. I give jcpenney the right to repin any or all images/original content from this board. I received a promotional item as a thanks for my participation.