Can any of you mamas relate to this?

You love seeing all your family and friends share new images from their professional photo session and you think…if I were thin like her I would schedule one too…if I had a beautiful smile I would too…If I had a nice outfit…If I—you fill in the blank. Is this you? Because it was totally me and I’m a family photographer-so I know how important it is to capture these moments! I LOVE looking at other people’s family sessions but kept putting off doing them for myself.

I didn’t like the way I looked in the last family session I had done 3 years ago and now I weighed even more and had less confidence. I desperately wanted updated family images but couldn’t stand seeing myself in pictures (I’m always the one in the back of pictures trying to hide my mom bod behind my kids and trying to find the perfect angle to hide my four chins. Ha!)

But the truth is, every stage is important to document. Every day our kids grow and change and tomorrow we will want to remember it just as it was- perfectly imperfect. This summer we were approaching a new stage in life with my husband joining the National Guard and I knew I was going to NEED recent images of our family to get me through the long months of his absence. I was determined to do it despite how I felt about myself because pictures are the best reminder of times with our loved ones.

I prepared by doing everything I possibly could, in a short amount of time, to not hate how I looked in the images: I lost a whopping four pounds (haha) and bought a full bodysuit to help flatter my figure in an outfit that I felt beautiful in (and made the rest of my family coordinate with me of course). I freshly dyed my graying hair, painted my nails and had my makeup professionally done (which I totally recommend). Did I look like a supermodel? Obviously not. But was I feeling pretty good? Heck yes I was!

I also had to prepare myself for the reality of how my kids will behave. Do we all envision having perfectly well-behaved children that smile a real smile in every picture taken? It’s what we all want. Is it realistic to smile perfectly for a solid hour? Absolutely not. That’s not real life. I had to remind myself what I really wanted- images that show my family just as they are: loud, silly, loving, imperfectly perfect. That is what I want to remember. I’m so thankful these images reflect just that.

I now have these images displayed throughout my house and look at them every day. These pictures breathe life into my memories as a family together. They are a visual reminder of the connection we have together. Big magic captured in small moments. There is nothing I cling to more during this season of life.

What is it that you really out of your session?

It was really important for me to have the option to edit my own images since I was planning to use them on my website so that was something I communicated right away with my fabulous photographer friend Scott, who did an amazing job documenting this milestone for us.  It was also important to me to document this milestone at a location that means a lot to my family. The location for my session is one of my family’s favorite spots to spend our summers together. By communicating my session dreams to my photographer, and preparing as much as possible, we were able to capture my dream session.

What is holding you back from scheduling a session for your family?

If you can’t afford to do all the extras you’d like,  wait to book your session until you’ve had a little time to save. Or better yet, think ahead and when a family member asks what they can get you for Christmas or for your birthday, ask for a gift certificate for new hair/nails/makeup/outfit! You deserve to have images you feel beautiful in. Your kids deserve to have printed memories of your family to show their kids. Don’t wait. Let’s discuss your dream session and document your memories now.