hi reddit: we are mike and doug, the co-founders of awkward family photos. we started the website after mike saw an awkward ski photo hanging in his parents house and we wanted to create a place where people would feel comfortable sharing their uncomfortable family moments. since we started the website in 2009, we've received hundreds of thousands of submissions. we have published two new york times best-selling books and our newest book awkward family holiday photos is out now and available wherever books are sold. Ask us anything...and please make it awkward! https://twitter.com/awkwardfamily/status/407951797798440960

Comments: 85 • Responses: 37  • Date: 

ToxicWasteOfTime6 karma

Is there any picture that you won't post? What crosses the line in your opinion?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos10 karma

yes, definitely. we won't post anything if it's really mean-spirited, homophobic, racist, that sort of thing. we try to keep the site a friendly place to be awkward and a celebration... but we of course are a humor site and will post some shockers like this one

crossyy3 karma

My first visit to your website made me gag. Would visit again 10/10

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos2 karma

awesome. thank you so much.

tazcel1 karma

[deleted]

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos4 karma

yes, it's a water birth with the whole family.

purplehayes1 karma

I've seen a lot of disgusting stuff on the Internet, but that's the closest I've ever come to throwing up from a picture.

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos2 karma

just be glad you didn't throw up.

purplegreendragon6 karma

Hi, has anyone sent you an Email because you posted a photo and later he or she didn't want it online anymore? I'm a huge fan of your site, I wish I could unsee quite a few of the photos. Keep up the awkwardness

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos5 karma

occasionally, someone will submit a photo and say they are the person in the photo and we realize that they were lying... in those cases when we hear from the actual person, we take it down. but often times, they still let us keep the photo up.

searchforac5 karma

What's your favorite photo from the new book?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos8 karma

great question search... so many favorites but we both have a soft spot in our hearts for this one

Thehealeroftri5 karma

What made you go forward with Awkwardfamilyphotos.com. That seems to be one of those things that you'd think about for a second while browsing the internet but then forget about it a few minutes later.

I'm sure you'd seen more than one awkward family photo before you made the website, what made you actually pursue the website?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos6 karma

well, it started with my mom hanging up a photo in the house (this is mike btw). doug and i were writing a film project at the time and starting talking about the idea of awkward family photos. doug said he had many at his parent's house and we thought, well, if we have them, other people must as well. so, we started the site with that in mind, hoping people would eventually send in pics. i should add that both our parents thought this was a terrible idea :) here is pic that inspired

Thehealeroftri2 karma

Hey! I've see that one! Didn't know it was the one that started it all, haha.

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos2 karma

yep, and it is still hung in my parent's house :)

Swimtexas0 karma

Please tell me one of you lost your balance after this picture was taken and you all fell down in a tangled mess of skis and horrible 80's ski attire.

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos1 karma

ha. sure, that's exactly what happened. why would i ruin that wonderful image.

HappyAssHippo5 karma

Do you personally know anyone in the photos you've published? Are either of you in any of the pictures?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos4 karma

yes, the whole thing started with our own photos... here is the vacation photo of mike's family that started it all

we do have a lot of friends and family who have submitted since we started

thelast_timelord4 karma

What's the most awkward thing that's happened at one of your personal family gatherings?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos7 karma

mike: at thanksgiving, my 9 year old cousin thanked his sperm for getting there first

doug: my dad saw cheryl hines with her daughter in a parking lot and said "looking forward to seeing you next sunday" during one of Curb seasons... needless to say, she was freaked out

brimlys4 karma

How long did you have the idea for the site until you actually started building the site?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos7 karma

we had the idea on a friday and decided to put up the cheapest wordpress site possible on a saturday

hawaii5-04 karma

which photo do you wish you could unsee?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos13 karma

hands down, this one

shield your eyes

hawaii5-03 karma

how do you choose the photos for the book? like are they the "all stars" or the ones that have a great story?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos3 karma

we select the all-stars from the website and pics that we've never published before and been saving for the book. the pictures that have great stories appear in the "behind the awkwardness" section of the book

chooter3 karma

What geographic area tends to send in the best submissions?

Do you see a specific time period as being specifically awkward (i.e. early 90's?)

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos6 karma

well, texas seems to be especially rich in AFPs... in terms of time periods, we've seen awkward pics from the 30s all the way thru present day. the one thing that will never change is that family will always be awkward.

john_fromtheinternet3 karma

Have any of your photos been used by third-parties for advertising?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos3 karma

sure, when we do a contest on the website, we often use our classic AFPs

FFGFM3 karma

What age demographic do you think uploads the most pictures to your site?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos3 karma

well, we def get photos from all different age ranges... but photos are generally submitted from the perspective of a child... meaning the person was a child or teenager at the time the photo was taken

AsksAboutUnderwear3 karma

I gotta know, what kind of underwear do you guys prefer?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos3 karma

we prefer underwear not made from meat products

I_CAPE_RUNTS2 karma

Well stop smothering hot dogs with your underwear and that wont happen

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos3 karma

we will def keep that in mind. thank you for the tip.

NOMEANSNO082 karma

no question. just thanks for hosting this site and making me laugh hysterically.

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos2 karma

awesome, thank you so much. we have a lot of fun doing it :)

GastroPilgrim2 karma

Could you please....nevermind.

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos3 karma

yes, we'd be happy to... nevermind.

DysenteryFairy2 karma

When you get cheese caught in your zipper, do you have a tendency to mash or flick it out?

Edit: I'm unsure of what happened here...

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos1 karma

our zippers are lactose intolerant

BoiledEggs2 karma

Considering it is a question that is very uncomfortable and awkward for people to ask about ones finances.......how much is AFP doing in that department?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos6 karma

you are correct. that is an awkward question.

itsstylerr2 karma

Would u rather lick a dildo or lick a dick.

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos2 karma

insightful question. really depends on what else is on the menu.

moremishal1 karma

You took me back to my college years where the only bright moment in my day was sitting in the computer lab holding my laughs while browsing AFP. I don't think you should hold out on seemingly mean-spirited, homophobic or racist photos if there was an awkward element to it.

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos1 karma

well, appreciate your point of view here, but a lot of people might disagree. ultimately, we don't look to anger people with our site. we want them to laugh. we know that we have a lot of moms and kids who visit the site so we're sensitive to that.

MattsyKun1 karma

Hey, thanks for your books! We sell them where I work and they always give us a good laugh when the store is dead.

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos1 karma

thank you for selling them, matt! we really appreciate that.

BagelTrollop1 karma

Of every photo you've ever seen (not just the books), which one makes you laugh regardless of how many times you've seen it?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos1 karma

there's one called "the space between" that just never gets old. you can type into search on AFP and it pop up. the look on sister's face is just precious.

Cunfuse1 karma

Is managing this site a hobby, or do you do it as a full-time job?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos2 karma

it started out as a hobby and as of about 3 years ago, it's now a full-time job

ottrocity1 karma

How many people have expressed, either through anger or sarcasm, their jealousy of you two making boatloads of money by publishing other peoples' content?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos2 karma

well, should say neither of us currently own a boat. but in truth, we haven't really had any issues. people are generally really excited and enthusiastic to be a part of the books, the cards, and mostly because these are photos that were in buried in drawers and in the attic and they get a real kick out of their families having a moment in the spotlight. we've even had some families that have contacted us and told us how the photo being published has brought them closer together. ultimately, we are asking people to laugh at themselves and that is what makes this so much fun.

-clementine-1 karma

Has anyone ever come across their photo on your website and asked that you take it down? Do you comply with removal requests or are you protected by some sort of blogging or satire loophole?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos1 karma

if someone write us to remove a pic, we take it down immediately. we're never looking to post without consent.

chooter1 karma

Do you think people take FAKE AFPs now? Or ever?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos3 karma

sure, we def get a fair share of those, but after looking at these for 4 years, it's really obvious which ones are faked

Ericksin1 karma

Like

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos1 karma

thank u

OLeCHIT1 karma

Who cuts your hair?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos1 karma

neither of us would wish our hairstyles on anybody else

jag6201 karma

Could you possibly share the most offensive photo you have ever received (even if it didn't necessarily make the cut)? Also, love the website, it's been making me and my friends laugh for years!

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos1 karma

for some odd reason, we have received a series of open casket family photos from funerals. for obvious reasons, we don't share those :)

thanks so much. can't tell you how much appreciate you coming to the site.

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos2 karma

yes, a classic for sure.

allenahansen1 karma

Is there a screenplay in the works? Some of the narratives suggested in your collections are just too good not to exploit.

Thanks for all the laffs!

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos2 karma

ha, we agree and thx! too much online ground to cover currently to think about a movie, but since doug and i are screenwriters, it's always in the back of our minds.

MillerTimer1 karma

What is the oldest known awkward family photo?

AwkwrdFamilyPhotos1 karma

great question.... not really sure but we've seen awkward pics from the early 1900s