16 Kids and Family Photo Shoot Ideas

It’s safe to say we’ve had our fair share of photos taken since our kids have been born. I tend to find these kind of “out there” ideas and our photographer – Danielle from Elles Photography Studios – always embraces my ideas and makes them come to life. She even drove to the Birmingham Zoo last year to take pictures of Audrey with flamingos! And she’s so good at getting even the grumpiest of kiddos to smile. More about Elles Photography Studios below!

If you’re looking for ideas for your next photo session for your child or family, I’ve got several ideas for you! Most of these ideas are girly, but there are a few that could be adapted for boys!

16 Kids and Family Photo Shoot Ideas

 

Lemonade Stand Photo Shoot

I loved the idea of a lemonade stand photo shoot for Raley’s 9 month pictures, so I asked my dad and husband to make a lemonade stand to use for her photo shoot. They got it done in a day. Grab a few props – a pitcher of lemonade, lemons, and some pretty paper straws – and you’re set. More here.

Wizard of Oz Photo Shoot

We’ve actually done two Wizard of Oz photo shoots. One for Raley’s first birthday and the other for our fall family pictures a few years ago. Raley’s first birthday party was a Wizard of Oz party. You’ll find throughout this post that I like to do their birthday photos in the same theme as their birthday party. I do this for two reasons – so that I’ll have coordinating photos to frame and use at their parties and because it’s representative of their interests at that point in time.

For Raley’s first birthday Wizard of Oz photo shoot, I got a big basket and tied a bunch of balloons to the top to give it a hot air balloon look. We took them in downtown Madison near the railroad tracks. She wore her Wizard of Oz birthday outfit and cute little sparkly red Toms. Her stuffed Toto was close by. More here.

For our family Wizard of Oz photo shoot, we took them at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. Danielle knew of this really pretty brick paver walkway lined with trees that looked like the yellow brick road. She used her Photoshop magic and made the road yellow in our final photos. This idea was sparked when I found this kids Wizard of Oz inspired line of clothes at Target. More here.

Cinderella Photo Shoot

We took these photos on the Athens State campus to coincide with Raley’s Cinderella 2nd birthday party. Danielle knew of some really pretty places there. I especially loved the clock tower, since Cinderella is trying to beat the clock home. More here.

Newborn Photo Shoot

We did Audrey’s newborn photo shoot in Danielle’s studio since she was born in January and it was cold outside. I loved the look of this little sash tied in a bow around her like a gift. More here.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s Inspired Photo Shoot

This is may be one of my favorites. For Audrey’s 6 month photo shoot I wanted to do a Breakfast at Tiffany’s inspired shoot for my “little Audrey.” She was adorable in her black outfit and her pearls, with this little teal box. We took these in front of some of the shops at Providence. More here.

Rapunzel Photo Shoot

Danielle knew of this perfect spot out near Providence for Raley’s 3rd birthday pictures. These went along with her Rapunzel 3rd birthday party. She’s got such an eye for these places. I wanted the feel of Rapunzel just getting out of her tower for the first time, so this field was perfect. She even worked some Photoshop magic to make some of these extra dreamy. I found Raley’s Rapunzel dress on Etsy, and had a few other props such as a Tangled book and Pascal. More here.

Princess Photo Shoot

Back several years ago, we had the idea to do a princess photo shoot with all of the little cousins and create a princess story book for our grandmother for Christmas. My cousin has two girls, my brother and sister-in-law have two girls (although these were taken before Addy was born), and I obviously have two girls. There are lots of princesses in the family, so this idea was only fitting. More here.

Woodsy Family Fall Photo Shoot

We lumped Audrey’s 9 month photos in with our fall family photos at this particular time. I loovvvved this spot!! It screams fall. So rustic and pretty. More here.

Winter ONEderland Smash Cake Photo Shoot

For Audrey’s Winter ONEderland photo shoot, I made a little banner to go behind, and used several of her decorations from her Winter ONEderland party as props. This smash cake session was a lot of fun and turned out really cute, even though she wasn’t sure of what to think of the camera at first! Her outfit is from Tickle Pants on Etsy More here.

Lilo and Stitch Photo Shoot

For Raley’s 4th birthday photos, I was a little stumped on how to do a Lilo and Stitch photo shoot to match her party. Danielle (again) knew of a perfect spot way out in the middle of nowhere that we could take photos by the water. She then used her magic and made the water look as if Raley were standing on the beach in Hawaii. So perfect! I ordered Raley’s dress from Glitter Ever after on Etsy, and used her stuffed Stitch and Scrump as props. More here.

Vintage Coca Cola Photo Shoot

For Raley’s 4th birthday photos, I wanted to mix it up a little bit. I wasn’t sure if we’d get enough variety with the Lilo and Stitch photos, so we also did a vintage Coca-Cola photo shoot. I got this adorable red and white polka dot swimsuit and headband from Red Dolly Swimwear, used an old beat up wagon, and of course, some Coke in a glass bottle. They turned out so stinkin cute! Red Dolly Swimwear actually uses one of her photos on their listing for this swimsuit! More here.

Vintage Charlotte’s Web Photo Shoot

Danielle actually contacted me for this one! She had the idea of doing Charlotte’s Web mini sessions and needed little models to advertise. She had several sweet little props to create a country Charlotte’s Web feel. Dresses from Mrs. Dazzle on Etsy. More here.

Pancakes and Pajamas Photo Shoot

For Audrey’s 2nd birthday, I wanted to do something that would go along with her Pancakes and Pajamas party, and came up with the idea of having her in her PJs, jumping on the bed. Danielle set up this beautiful scene in her studio for Audrey to jump until her heart was content. Jammies from Cozy Kids Embroidery on Etsy. More here.

Whimsical Tinker Bell Photo Shoot

Another one of my favorites! We did this Tinker Bell photo shoot for Raley’s Tinker Bell Fairy Garden Tea Party. I wanted a woodland fairy feel for these photos. Danielle used her Photoshop magic to create wings on my little fairy. They are so whimsical and dreamy! This beautiful spot is along a walking trail in Athens, and so perfect. I ordered her dress from Etsy, but it is no longer available. More here.

Rainbow Trolls Photo Shoot

Audrey is obsessed with Trolls, so we did a Trolls birthday party for her 3rd birthday. This one was a little difficult to decide on an aesthetic for her photos, but I ultimately decided to get her a rainbow tutu (similar), a Trolls shirt, and just get a bunch of balloons. If you’re looking for a festive, but simple photo shoot idea for your child (boy or girl), I highly recommend just getting a bunch of balloons. The kids have a blast with them and the pictures turn out so cute! More here.

Flamingo Encounter Photo Shoot

If you’ve been around here a while, you know my Audrey is crazy about flamingos. She has a flamingo bedroom (which she now shares with her sister), and she requested a “flingino” birthday party this year for her 4th birthday. I was stumped as to how to do a flamingo photo shoot without it being super cheesy. Then I had the thought what if she could take pictures with real flamingos? So I contacted the Birmingham Zoo, thinking it was a long shot, and they emphatically said yes! Danielle agreed to drive down to Birmingham before the zoo opened to take pictures of Audrey with the flamingos. This may have been the highlight of her year! Blue dress from Amazon. More here.

Cotton Field Photo Shoot

I loved this cotton mini session back when I was pregnant with Audrey.

 

You can read more about Elles Photography Studios in this post, and follow her on Facebook or Instagram. She has two studio locations – one in Athens, Alabama and one in Panama City Beach. So if you’re looking for a photographer in North Alabama or near Panama City, make sure to give her a call. She is so sweet and always does an amazing job!

 

You may also like:
For all of our photos, head to the Family Photos Archive.
If you’d like to see more birthday parties, visit the Let’s Party Archive.

 

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