In a season of generic Christmas photos, the Price family stands out
Naturally, Dan Price's Christmas photo shoot ensemble includes a bloody tissue shoved in his nose.
"I was attacked,” he says. “Ferris Bueller's sister tried to break into the house. Just moments ago."
Dan's fine. The blood is fake, the tissue a prop for the family's annual ritual — recreating true-to-life scenes from famous movies in lieu of cheesy Christmas cards in matchy-matchy outfits.
This year, it's a shot from “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” staged in Rochester's art museum. And it comes with expert lighting, detailed costumes and a friend who also happens to be a professional photographer.
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Dan plays the villian — Principal Rooney. His son, Ben, 12, is Ferris; daughter Charlotte, 14, is Sloane, Ferris's girlfriend; and son Henry, 8, is best friend Cameron. Dan’s wife Katharine plays Ferris' sister.
Katharine says it's a far cry from their first family photo taken eight years ago — as a joke involving their three kids. "I have an aversion to family pictures that are done in a studio,” she said.
“Right after Henry was born, [Dan] snuck these guys out and bought them all red mock turtlenecks. And it was a Valentine's picture. And they were in JCPenney studio, all like this,” she said, her hands propped under her chin to make the point that the pictures were really cheesy — and by design.
Over the years, the Price's have spoofed Wes Anderson movies, ”Armageddon” and movies from the 1980s that every 40-something would know.
One elaborate shoot involved a scene from the Netflix Series “Stranger Things” at a local mall's food court. Dan said they scheduled that photo shoot for a Sunday night.
“I was thinking that it would be empty as could be and it turns out the Orange Julius is very popular on Sunday nights in Rochester,” said Dan.
They got a lot of stares from the people eating dinner there.
This year, the Price family had a gallery all to themselves as their photographer and friend Eric Sheehan gave them direction on their Bueller-inspired photo.
For 30 minutes, parents and kids adjusted their clothes, facial expressions and poses. It may seem tedious, but for the Price family getting the picture right is all in the details — and Dan Price credits Sheehan for being a perfectionist.
Like the time when they created the Simple Minds album cover featuring the cast of the classic ‘80s flick, “The Breakfast Club.” That's one of Dan's favorites.
"I mean, it was just like Eric went to the wall to make that perfect, all these little adjustments of how everybody was positioned. And so I look at that album cover and it looks exactly like our family photo,” he said.
The Price kids are fully on board for their annual photographic adventure. And figuring out which film they'll shoot is a matter of hot debate — even when the movies don't always hold up among younger audiences, said Charlotte Price.
"Every time we've watched a movie from the ‘80s, Mom and Dad are like, ‘This is such a good movie.’ And then some really inappropriate scene comes up and they're like, ‘I don't remember this ever being here.’"
With so much effort put into their Christmas photos, you’d think the Price family has a mailing list a mile long.
"They never make it out,” Dan said. “We've intended to send a family photo out to the world and have never done it."
Instead, Katharine said they are framed and hung in their offices. Some are shared on social media.
"Once the kids are gone and we're not doing them anymore, we'll have to put a book together with all of them,” she said before turning to her kids and suggesting, “Or we can fly you guys home from college to keep doing it.”
Charlotte, Ben and Henry Price nod in agreement.