Tips For Taking Authentic Holiday Family Photos

The holidays are all about family and tradition, and there are few traditions as universal as taking family photos. Whether trying to capture that perfect picture for your holiday card or documenting the actual holiday, there are few things that moms (and grandmas) want more than a great picture of their kids.

With that in mind, we turned to Milwaukee-based photographer Heather Cook Elliott (you may remember her from her daughter's adorable globe-trotting nursery and her election-inspired first birthday party). Heather says that we are too caught up in getting the perfect picture. "I'm a professional photographer specializing in capturing people in love — in love with each other, in love with their children, in love with their dogs, cooking, life in general. But still, soon after my 14-month-old daughter was born, I realized why it is so hard to take great photos of your own children and families, professional or not. We are obsessed with perfection and perfect people smiling perfectly in perfectly lit photos."

Heather goes on to say that we need to stop trying for the perfect snapshot, but instead go for a great photograph. She says, "Great photographs are records of their subjects. They capture a moment in time, a feeling, a relationship, and ultimately, great photographs are about authenticity." Check out her 10 tips for taking more authentic holiday photos.