How to Choose the Best Photos for Your Family’s Adoption Profile

You have made the decision to pursue adoption to grow your family. It may be the first time you have thought about your adoption profile and the process sounds overwhelming. As the Director of Graphic Design at Purl Adoptions for more than 7 years, I have helped hundreds of families describe themselves in a booklet that tells their unique story and introduces themselves to expectant families.

Being authentic is key. But where to start?

Start by going through the photos you already have and making a plan to get some more! Here is a list to help.

• 2-3 high quality family photos . When flipping through any booklet, our eyes are first drawn to the larger images. We want these to make the reader want to read more! You’ll need to make sure it is a high-quality photo to be blown up and showcase your family the best way possible. You will want to avoid hats and sunglasses so we can connect better. These photos should be over 4 MB (4000 KB).

• Photo of each person alone. You may not be in the habit of taking photos of each other alone. But this is an important part of the introduction. Your profile will include pages where you are introduing each parent who is going to be adopting, so you’ll need a few quality photos of each prospective adoptive parent.

• Photo of each adult with a child or children. Do you spend time with nieces and nephews, friend’s children, or neighbors? Sometimes in normal life we just don’t have a camera out. Make a plan to get a few good images of you with the children in your lives if you don’t already have them, so that an expectant parent can picture you with a child.

• Candid and fun photos. We want to see pictures of you doing your favorite things (riding bikes, hiking, cooking, playing guitar, going to a street fair/concert, whatever those things are). The smiles in those pictures are going to be genuine, because you are doing things you love. This is a peek into your world.

• Your pet with you and with children. If you have pets, they are likely an important part of the family! We love cute photos of your pets alone but when we can see them interacting with you or children, it helps us to visualize this potential future connection with new baby.

• Fun facts. Quick reads are always a great way to make your family jump off the page! As you are looking through the photos you already have, think about facts that might pair with those photos. The marathon you ran last year, the late-night kitchen dance parties, your unique hobbies, your dream vacation from last year, and your home DIY projects.

• Extended family/friends. Getting to know your friends and family through the photos is very important. You will want to think about including those closest to you (and those that will be close with your future child) by choosing a variety of photos that show any unique or diverse groups represented.

• Your home/community. Whether you live in the country or city, an apartment or a home, this helps get an idea of daily life. Neighborhood pool or playground, local hikes or anything you love to do helps us to learn about your community. Do you have pictures from the local parade or your favorite backyard sunset? We want to peek at your life! (Fun tip: This is my favorite way to personalize a page about your home and community: photos with YOU in them!)

• Adoption related photos. Have you dreamed of adoption since you were a little girl? Or maybe your sister placed a child for adoption when she was a teenager? Or maybe there is a family member who was adopted and will be a great resource for your child. If you have any added connection to adoption, make sure to include that in your profile. Expectant parents want to connect with the family adopting their child in any way possible, and they will feel more comfortable knowing that adoption is accepted by your family. This can also be a posed photo with a sign or announcement about adoption.

Be yourselves, tell your story, connect. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. I think it may be worth even more! Remember that professional photos are not necessarily required, read more on that here! Also, if you’re unsure of how the adoption profile is used in the adoption process, click here.

If the thought of creating your family profile still intimidates you or if you need to revamp an existing profile that isn’t getting you noticed, visit our Profiles page to see what design services we offer. We’d love to help design the perfect family profile for you!