As I mentioned in this post, my family and I had an amazing week long vacation in Playa del Carmen. It has been way too long since we had professional family pictures taken, and I thought the beach backdrop provided the perfect opportunity to get some cute ones together. We originally planned on having photos taken off the resort by a local photographer, but because of a travel warning issued by the U.S. Department of State that nearly caused us to cancel our trip, we decided not to leave the resort, and cancelled those plans. I had decided not to haul my camera gear down, because I wanted the focus of our vacation to be on our family, and it’s a lot to carry. Plus, one of the main issues of being the photographer in the family is that there is hardly any photographic evidence that I am a part of my children’s lives. 😉 But I really wanted to get a few family photos together and was really disappointed that we wouldn’t have that opportunity. Luckily, DreamArt Photography contracts with a bunch of major resorts around the world, and they had a location on our resort.

This is a sponsored post, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. A big thank you to DreamArt Photography for the two free digital photo files in addition to the package we purchased. 

I had a few reservations about booking a session with DreamArt Photography, as I was unfamiliar with them and wasn’t sure what the quality of the photography would be, and I also assumed that because it was on the resort, it would be extremely expensive. I meant to stop by the DreamArt Photography kiosk and ask some questions, but with all of the vacation fun happening, I kept forgetting. One afternoon, while watching Arabella crafting a key chain in the cabana area near the pool, I was approached by a DreamArt Photography employee. He explained that there was no session fee, but that you pay per file for the edited digital images. So I figured we really had nothing to lose except a little time, and I signed us up for a session the next morning.

The morning of our session was cloudy, and I was slightly disappointed because the colors of the ocean were muted compared to normal, but I also knew that the overcast light would make it easier to get unshadowed pictures, so I tried to look on the bright side. Our DreamArt Photography photographer’s name was Farid, and he was super friendly and made our kids laugh right away, so I figured that was a good sign for how the session would go. Farid spent an hour with us, and photographed us in about 5-6 different settings.

One of my favorite captures is this photo of me and Arabella together. A lot of times I think she looks more like Adam, but in this picture, it kind of seems like she is my little mini! So fun to have a great shot of us together.

Farid had us do some things that felt very unnatural at the time, like running down this sidewalk together, but the pictures actually turned out really cute, and looking back, I’m really glad for the extra direction he gave us. He was definitely a professional!

Unlike a lot of kids, mine actually seem to enjoy having their picture taken, BUT that doesn’t always translate into the most natural facial expressions. Arabella seems to squint her eyes in most photos, and Kaden is going through a bit of an awkward smiling phase. Despite this, Farid managed to get some very sweet shots of them where they are smiling naturally.

Finally, the beach photos. These were the pictures I most wanted to capture, and I’ll definitely be incorporating some of these into wall art in the near future.

I originally hoped that there would be a few photos I could purchase at $35/digital file, but I didn’t anticipate having such a hard time narrowing them down. Originally, Farid had 154 edited photos for us, but the package price for that was $1500, which was way over budget. I eventually ended up purchasing the least expensive package of 10 photo files for $250, but it was SUPER difficult to get down to 10. I kept reminding myself that the point of the session was to get some photos of me together with my family, versus me behind the camera, but it was still super hard to say no to the adorable pictures DreamArt Photography captured of my kids. I just couldn’t resist this one of them running down the pier chasing the seagulls!

This photo of me and Adam is another one that felt super awkward to capture (I mean, seriously, when would he ever lift me up and spin me around like this?!), but I absolutely LOVE the way it turned out.

These photos of the four of us were captured at the end of our session, and apparently Arabella was getting a little tired of smiling. 😉 That’s ok… The sassiness is totally her, and I might be biased, but I think she still looks pretty cute!

Overall, we had a fantastic experience with DreamArt Photography. I’m so happy we were able to get a few family photos taken, despite our unwillingness to leave the resort.

This last photo is not the most flattering of me, and frankly, I’m not exactly sure why I picked it, but I do think Adam looks pretty cute!

This session with DreamArt Photography made me realize that I need to set some funds aside to invest in professional family pictures more often. These moments of our lives pass by so quickly, and to be able to look back at our family at various stages seems more like an investment than an expense… I know I will never regret having family photos taken!

What about you? Do you get family picture taken professionally or just rely on iphone snaps? Do family portraits seem like a luxury or something you are willing to put money toward regularly? Would love to hear your thoughts below!