Family Portraits, Senior Photography, and Gifting Real Estate: What You Need to Know
Family portraits, senior portrait photography, and the process of gifting real estate to family members all involve navigating something meaningful with care and planning. The first two are about capturing a moment that matters. The third is about transferring something substantial — property — in a way that honors your intentions without creating legal or tax complications for the people you’re trying to help.
This guide covers family portrait photography best practices for every age group, what senior portrait photography sessions involve and how to prepare for one, what formal family portraits require for a polished result, and what gifting real estate to family members actually entails from a legal and tax perspective.
Family Portrait Photography: Preparation and Execution
Family portraits succeed or fail based on two variables: coordination and comfort. Coordinating outfits, location, and timing solves half the equation. The other half is helping the family feel relaxed enough in front of the camera that their actual relationships come through in the images.
For family portrait photography with children under 8, plan the session around nap schedules and feeding times. A well-rested, fed child cooperates for 20–30 minutes. A tired or hungry child cooperates for about 5. Build your session timeline accordingly and plan for the group shots first, smaller groupings second, and individual shots of the kids last.
Formal family portraits require more deliberate outfit coordination. Aim for a palette of 3 colors maximum across the entire group — not matching, but complementary. Avoid logos, busy patterns, and bright neon colors that compete with faces. Blacks and navies photograph well but can look severe; earth tones (cream, tan, olive, dusty blue) tend to flatter most skin tones and age well in prints.
Senior Portrait Photography: What to Expect
Senior portrait photography sessions typically run 1.5–2.5 hours and include multiple location changes and outfit swaps. Most seniors want 2–4 outfit changes; plan 20–30 minutes per look including setup and shooting. Outdoor sessions work best in the hour before sunset; studio sessions work any time but require a dedicated space with proper lighting.
Senior portrait photography packages usually include a gallery of 25–50 images, print credits or packages, and digital files for social sharing. The most common use cases are college applications, senior yearbook submissions, and family wall prints. Discuss all three with your client’s family before the session so you shoot the right variety of crops and expressions.
Gifting Real Estate to Family Members: Key Considerations
Gifting real estate to family members involves federal gift tax rules, capital gains implications, and title transfer logistics. The annual gift tax exclusion is $18,000 per person in 2024. Any gift above that counts against your lifetime exclusion ($13.61 million in 2024). Most gifted properties fall below the lifetime threshold, but you still need to file Form 709 if the gift value exceeds the annual exclusion.
When gifting real estate to family members, the recipient takes on your cost basis in the property, not the current market value. This matters significantly at the time of sale: if you bought the property for $80,000 and it’s now worth $350,000, the recipient inherits a $270,000 capital gains exposure. Compare this to an inherited property — which receives a stepped-up basis to fair market value at time of death — before deciding whether a gift or bequest better serves your family’s financial situation.