Four Seasons Picture

This idea was on Pinterst 🙂  Got to love it.  I didn’t pin it at the time, just browsing through and saw the idea and liked it. So, whoever came up with it hats off to you because it is awesome. I wanted to share it with all of you because it really is a neat idea.

The general concept is that you take a picture of the two of you together every season, every year.

I love this idea for many reasons, but here are just a couple –

1. You have a facebook picture of you two that can change every 3 months. Score!

2. A nice, organized place with four rotating photos of the two of you – perfect for that bare wall that you have no idea what to put on it.

3. Put the photos in a nice scrapbook when you are done and bam – 20-30 years from now you have 1 book that has a picture of you two every 3 months from your marriage( or whenever you decide to start) until the present time.  Perfect present to pass down through the years and enjoy yourself when you are older.

 

If I was going to set this up this is how I would do it –

•  4 frames that match.  Since the pictures are not going to match by having the frames all the same color wood, all black, all white, etc then it will look put together.  You can do it all vertical, all horizontal, two vertical/two horizontal, etc.  Just remember that whatever orientation you pick you will have to do that for the photos.   Personally I see vertical, but that is just me.

•  Set the date for the pictures on you and your hubbies calendar.  Consciously make an effort to keep these dates and get dolled up for them.  This is a perfect opportunity to set up the camera on the tripod, take the pic and then head out for a nice evening.  With that in mind, you might want to plan it on the first Friday of that season or something along that nature.   The main thing here is just to make the conscious effort for the photo – don’t just say, oh well we will be out with friends at so and so’s birthday party and someone can grab a photo of us there. Make this time about you two – spend the 30 minutes taking the picture together. I can guarantee there will be tons of hilarious outtakes with the timer/tripod set up that will have you guys laughing the whole time.

• Find a great spot OUTSIDE to take the picture. Remember – this is a seasonal thing.  If there is a spot with trees in the background that would help showcase what season it is even better.   I don’t think it has to be the same spot every picture – but if you will be doing majority of the pictures at home, finding a spot is good. Plant a tree the first year you guys are there to watch the tree grow in the pictures with you.    If you have a favorite park that you frequent a lot then go there for the picture. Pretty much the idea is to make it look good, but also as convenient as possible so you will do it.

• Get a 12×12 scrapbook – a nice one that you LOVE. Take time to find one that both of you like and enjoy – remember you will have this book for the next 20+ years so enjoy the cover of it! Grab lots of extra pages to fill in as well.

• Picture size – I say 5×7. You can go 4×6, but for walls I like 5×7 – your heads are bigger and you won’t need glasses when you are older to see your expressions 🙂

• You can fit  2 5×7 prints on a 12×12 sheet – so if you are still with me then that means that 1 full spread in your scrapbook ( 12×24) will house all 4 pictures from that year.  This is kind of where the orientation of the photos come back into play. 2 verticals or 2 horizontals fit nicely on a page. 1 horizontal and 1 vertical work – but I have never found it visually pleasing.  Again, totally up to you.  Play around with the pictures and see how you like it in the scrapbook.

• Plan ahead by making say the next 5 years of scrapbook pages will help you out.  Sit down one evening together and make up the next 5 year spreads. Remember to leave space for the pictures, add a year to the spread.   When you start rotating the pictures from the wall to the scrapbook you won’t have to worry about the pages not being made – they will already be there waiting for the pictures to be put in.  You can then add dates, stickers, sayings and whatever else you feel like adding.

• As the years progress it will be a good show of  your life together, how you guys have aged, maternity pictures if you have kids and you can then made the decision to keep it just you two, or start to have the children in the photos.

 

I love the idea and would totally be doing it right now if I was married – I think Bentley and I can start one! That is totally normal right? A picture with your dog every 3 months? He and I take a Christmas picture every year and that is interesting enough.

 

I think it can be done very well with some pre planning and organizing in the first year.  Making 5 or so years of spreads is crucial I think.  For me, I could see the whole process getting backed up if I didn’t have the spreads pre-made ahead of time. The pictures would just get put into a shoe box and never seen again till I add another photo in.   I would probably pick an evening when the power is out and then have a scrapbooking fiesta and put all the pictures in at once while swearing how much I hated the project haha.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this little tidbit and if you do the project or have any ideas of how to better it please let me know!

 

Since every post is better with a picture – Enjoy one from Sara and Wes’s engagement session!