How Often Should You Schedule Family Photos? Advice From a St. Augustine Family Photographer
One question I am often asked as a St Augustine family photographer is how often families should schedule professional photos. Is once a year necessary? Should you wait for a milestone? And what happens when your children are older and no longer changing quite as quickly?
After nearly 14 years of photographing families, my honest answer is that there is no schedule that is right for everyone. I choose to have my own family photographed every year because I know how quickly one season moves into the next, but annual sessions may not be realistic or necessary for every family.
What matters most is continuing to make space for photographs throughout your family’s life, especially during the seasons you know you will want to remember.
Are Annual Family Photos Worth It?
If it works for your family, I believe an annual photo session is absolutely worth doing. Children change considerably in one year, even when those changes become less obvious than they were during the baby and toddler stages.
Their expressions change. Their relationships with their siblings change. They lose teeth, grow taller, develop new interests, and slowly become more independent. The way your youngest reaches for your hand or your oldest leans against you may not feel significant in the moment, but those are often the details you miss later.
Annual family photos also make it easier to document your family consistently without waiting for a major occasion. Every year does not need to bring a dramatic milestone to be worth remembering. Ordinary seasons matter too.
That said, you do not need to schedule a session every year for your photographs to be meaningful. If annual sessions do not fit your budget or schedule, every 18 months or every other year can still create a beautiful record of your family as it grows.
Schedule Photos Around Meaningful Family Transitions
Certain transitions are especially good reasons to move a family session to the top of your list.
Consider scheduling photos when:
Your family has recently moved to the St. Augustine area
Your youngest child is finishing the toddler or preschool years
A child is starting kindergarten, middle school, or high school
Your oldest child will be leaving for college soon
Grandparents are visiting or the entire family will be together
You are celebrating a significant birthday or anniversary
Your family is taking a meaningful St. Augustine vacation
It has been several years since everyone was photographed together
These sessions are about more than marking an event. They preserve what your family feels like during a particular chapter.
Family Photos Still Matter as Children Get Older
Many families schedule professional photos regularly when their children are young and then gradually stop as life becomes busier. School, sports, activities, and changing schedules can make it harder to find an evening when everyone is available.
But the years with older children deserve to be documented too.
As a mom of two daughters, I understand how quickly this stage moves. Older children may not change from month to month in the way babies do, but the years between elementary school and college bring enormous changes in personality, confidence, and family relationships.
You may also notice that you have plenty of photographs of your children but very few that include you. Phone photos and quick snapshots are important, but they rarely show the whole family together in a natural, connected way.
A session before a child leaves for college is especially meaningful. It gives you photographs of your family as it has existed under one roof before schedules, holidays, and everyday routines begin to change.
Include Grandparents When You Can
You do not have to wait until the entire extended family is available to include grandparents in your session. If grandparents live nearby or are visiting St. Augustine, consider inviting them to join your immediate family for photographs.
The relationship between grandparents and grandchildren changes just as quickly as every other family relationship. Photographs of them walking together, laughing, or simply sitting close become increasingly valuable over time.
An extended family session is also a wonderful option when several generations are gathering for a vacation, birthday, anniversary, or holiday. These sessions include the whole group as well as smaller family combinations, so each household receives photographs that are meaningful to them.
Change the Season or Setting From Year to Year
Families often schedule photos at the same time every year, usually during fall for holiday cards. Fall is a beautiful and popular time for photographs, but it is not your only option.
One of the advantages of scheduling family photos in St. Augustine is the variety of settings available within a relatively small area. You can create a completely different look from one session to the next without traveling far.
If you had beach photos last year, consider the historic streets of downtown St. Augustine for your next session. If your last gallery had an architectural feel, choose an oak-filled park or a quieter natural setting the following year. You might alternate among:
The bayfront and areas near the Castillo
An oak-filled park or garden
A relaxed session at home
Varying the season can add even more variety. Spring offers fresh greenery and softer colors. Summer beach sessions feel relaxed and playful. Fall works beautifully for holiday cards, while Florida’s mild winter weather can be ideal for families who want to avoid the heat and the busiest time of year.
Your photographs do not need to look the same every year. Changing the setting, season, and even the type of session allows each gallery to reflect a different part of your family’s story.
What If Your Children Do Not Love Having Their Photos Taken?
Parents sometimes put off scheduling because they worry their children will not cooperate, particularly as children get older or become more self-conscious.
Your children do not need to perform or smile on command for an entire session. I provide gentle direction, but there is also room to move, talk, laugh, and settle into the experience. I will always make time for a few traditional photographs, but the less structured moments often become the images families love most.
The goal is not to make your family look perfectly posed. It is to create photographs that genuinely feel like you.
So, How Often Should You Schedule Family Photos?
For families with young children, once a year is a wonderful goal because so much changes in a short amount of time. Families with older children may choose every 18 months or every other year, while also scheduling around important transitions such as graduation or leaving for college.
The most important thing is not following a strict schedule. It is making sure years do not pass while you wait for the perfect time, the perfect outfits, or a less busy season of life.
There will always be reasons to postpone photographs. Children grow anyway.
Plan Your St. Augustine Family Photo Session
Whether you live locally or are visiting Florida’s historic coast, St. Augustine offers beautiful options for a family session in every season. I photograph families throughout St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach, Nocatee, and the greater Jacksonville area, with personalized location guidance and styling assistance included.
If you are wondering whether this is the right year for family photos, I would love to help you choose a session and setting that feel right for your family.
