Christmas Photo Sessions in Los Angeles: 5 Different Experiences for Families and Kids
Christmas photo sessions in Los Angeles can be as traditional or playful as your family. From classic family holiday portraits and cozy Christmas pajamas to an interactive visit with Santa, each session can be designed around your children, your family, and the holiday memories you want to preserve.
Christmas photos don't have to look the same for every family. Some parents want classic family holiday portraits. Others want their children baking cookies with Santa, a baby's first Christmas portrait, or something more imaginative that feels like part of a Christmas story.
At Panos Productions Photography, I offer several different Christmas photo sessions for Los Angeles families, all photographed indoors in my Tujunga studio. The right one depends on your child's age, whether you want the whole family photographed, and the kind of holiday memory you want to create.
Quick Answer: What Kind of Christmas Photo Session Should I Choose?
For family Christmas photos, choose a Family Holiday Portrait Session. For an interactive Santa photo experience, choose the Private Santa's Workshop. Babies approximately 6–12 months old can be a good fit for Baby in a Box Holiday Photos. The North Pole Teddy Bear Adventure gives children a Christmas story experience without Santa, while Baby's First Christmas portraits are designed specifically to document a baby's first holiday season.
Here are the five experiences and how to decide which one fits your family.
1. Family Holiday Portraits: For the Classic Christmas Card Photo
If your priority is an updated portrait of the whole family, a Family Holiday Portrait Session is the most traditional choice.
These sessions are designed around the family rather than an activity or character. Parents and children can be photographed together, along with different combinations such as siblings, individual children, and parents with their children.
I offer several indoor holiday settings so families can choose a look that fits their clothing and style, from light and classic to warm and traditional.
Family holiday portraits work particularly well when you want:
A photograph for your Christmas or holiday cards
Updated family portraits that happen to have a seasonal setting
Sibling photographs
A polished indoor alternative to outdoor holiday photos
Several family groupings during one session
If you're wondering what the actual session is like, read what happens during a family holiday photo session before choosing your setting.
2. Private Santa's Workshop: For Children Who Want More Than a Santa Lap Photo
A Private Santa photo session in Los Angeles can be very different from standing in line at a shopping center, taking one quick photograph, and leaving.
My Santa's Workshop is built around interaction. Children have activities to do with Santa rather than being expected to immediately sit next to someone they have never met and smile at the camera.
That distinction can be especially important for younger children. Some children are excited about Santa from the moment they arrive. Others need time, something interesting to do, and an opportunity to become comfortable before getting physically close to him.
The goal isn't simply a photograph with Santa. It's to photograph the child's experience with him.
Private Santa's Workshop is a good choice when you want:
Private Santa photos in Los Angeles
An interactive rather than assembly-line Santa visit
Photographs of real expressions and interactions
A Christmas activity for your child as well as portraits
More time for a child who may initially be unsure about Santa
For younger children, you can also read how to prepare your toddler for Santa photos before deciding whether a Santa experience is right for your child.
For dates, planning information and details about the experience, see my Santa Photo Booking Guide for Los Angeles.
3. Baby in a Box Holiday Photos: For Sitting Babies
There is a brief stage of babyhood when babies can sit, laugh, grab their toes, make wonderfully serious faces, and show an enormous amount of personality without immediately running out of the photograph.
That's the stage behind my Baby in a Box Holiday Photos.
These Christmas portraits are designed primarily for sitting babies, generally around 6–12 months. The set is intentionally simple: the baby becomes the focus rather than disappearing into an elaborate Christmas backdrop.
This can be an especially good choice when your baby is celebrating a first Christmas but you don't necessarily need a full family session.
Baby in a Box is a good fit when:
Your baby can sit independently
You want Christmas photos focused primarily on your baby
Your baby is approximately 6–12 months old
You want a shorter holiday portrait experience
You want images that can work for holiday cards, gifts and keepsakes
Age and developmental stage matter more than the calendar. Here's how to determine how old your baby should be for Baby in a Box photos.
4. North Pole Teddy Bear Adventure: Christmas Photos Without Santa
Not every child wants Santa in their Christmas pictures.
The North Pole Teddy Bear Adventure was created for families who want imaginative Christmas photos for their children without making Santa the center of the experience.
Instead, children become part of a story. They journey to the North Pole with teddy bears, and the finished photographs have a more storybook quality than a conventional Christmas portrait session.
This can also work well for children who enjoy pretending and participating in a story rather than simply standing in front of a holiday backdrop and smiling.
The Teddy Bear Adventure may be the better choice if:
Your child doesn't like Santa
You want Christmas photos of your children rather than the entire family
Your child loves teddy bears, stories and imaginative play
You want something less traditional than standard Christmas portraits
You want the photographs to work together as a visual story
5. Baby's First Christmas Photos: For a Holiday That Only Happens Once
There will be many Christmases, but only one will be your baby's first.
Baby's First Christmas photos can be created around your baby's actual developmental stage rather than trying to force a newborn, three-month-old, sitting baby, or nearly-one-year-old into the same type of Christmas portrait.
A very young baby might be photographed sleeping, wrapped or held by a parent. An older baby may be sitting, smiling, grabbing decorations, or interacting with the set.
That's why “first Christmas” is not really one particular kind of photograph. A baby born in November and a baby born in January will be at completely different developmental stages by December.
Baby's First Christmas portraits are worth considering when:
You want to document this specific once-only milestone
Your baby is too young for a sitting-baby session
You want Christmas photographs appropriate for your baby's actual age
You want parents or siblings included
You want images that feel like baby portraits as well as holiday photographs
My Baby's First Christmas Photos guide explains the different possibilities based on your baby's age and developmental stage.
Which Los Angeles Christmas Photo Session Is Right for Your Family?
The easiest way to choose is to start with who you most want photographed.
If the family portrait is the priority, choose a Family Holiday Portrait Session.
If the experience of meeting and interacting with Santa is the priority, choose Private Santa's Workshop.
If you have a sitting baby and want the photographs centered entirely around that stage, Baby in a Box may be the best fit.
If your child loves imaginative play or doesn't want Santa involved, consider the North Pole Teddy Bear Adventure.
And if this is your baby's first holiday season, Baby's First Christmas portraits can be planned around whatever developmental stage your baby happens to be in.
There isn't one “correct” kind of Christmas photo. The best choice is the one that matches the people you want photographed and what you want to remember about this particular holiday season.
Christmas Photography for Los Angeles, Glendale, Pasadena and Nearby Families
Panos Productions Photography is a private portrait studio in Tujunga, California, serving families throughout Los Angeles, Glendale, Pasadena, Burbank, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta and surrounding communities.
All of my Christmas and holiday portrait experiences are photographed indoors, so sessions aren't dependent on weather, temperature or changing outdoor light.
Continue Planning Your Christmas Photos
Plan your Los Angeles holiday photos from start to finish
Planning Christmas photos with Santa?
Start with the Complete Los Angeles Santa Photo Guide
Explore ideas for your baby's first Christmas photos
Ready To Reserve Your Session?
Private Santa In His Workshop Sessions Los Angeles
Family Holiday Photos Glendale
