Recently, I posted our family pictures taken by our family photographer and I was shocked by how many people told me they didn’t have pictures of their family taken regularly. It got me thinking about why I actually do it every year. It is obviously 100% a luxury, but for us it is also a priority.
I am rarely in pictures
I don’t know about your husband, but mine is terrible at capturing pictures. He doesn’t do it on purpose, it just doesn’t even cross his mind. The only way I get pictures with my kids is if I ask him to take pictures of me and our children or I take selfies. I realized very early in motherhood that I wanted pictures of me doing what I love the most – being a mama. Even though most years I look extremely tired, or like this year I still have some baby weight from having our third child 6 months ago, I know that those things don’t matter. My children will not grow up to notice those things. They will hopefully grow up to see how happy we were and how much I love them.
The years are flying by
When I was pregnant for my first child, the advice I received the most was to cherish every moment because it goes by in the blink of an eye. I had no idea how true that would be, but here I am 5 years into being a mom and it literally has gone by in the blink of an eye. I love being able to look back at our family pictures and see my babies growing and changing every year. Each year their little personalities are captured by someone who knows how to make our chaotic lives look beautiful. Even when our lives are full of tears, chaos, and lots of tantrums, I want it captured because one day it won’t be like this and I know I will miss it!
Find a photographer that matches your family and stick with them
I think this is actually very important. We have used the same photographer for the last 3 years and every year our pictures get better and better. Not only because he is becoming a better photographer as the years go on, but because he knows our family. He knows our kids and their little quirks and knows how to make them smile. The kids recognize him and want to play and are comfortable. There are so many wonderful photographers out there with all different styles. Check out their pictures and talk to friends about how their sessions went to see if they might fit your family.
Understand you will have to pay for pictures
I know that it seems so expensive to hire a photographer. I truly get it; we live on a pretty strict budget and don’t have tons of extra funds. With that being said, the statement “you get what you pay for” couldn’t be more true. You can’t expect to pay hardly anything and get high quality pictures. Just like the rest of us, photographers are trying to provide for their families as well and spend time not only taking the pictures, but editing them. A lot of photographers even offer mini-sessions where you can get a few wonderful pictures for a fraction of the cost that a normal session would cost. For us, we prioritize pictures by setting aside money earlier in the year so that once fall comes around, we don’t have to worry about paying for the pictures and all the other holiday extras we are paying for at that time. Another idea would be to ask family members for a family session for Christmas. I know grandparents are always looking for practical ideas for their adult children, and this would be a wonderful gift that would be so much more meaningful than another pair of slippers!
One thing I know is that I have never regretted having family pictures taken every year, but one thing I do regret is not having professional pictures of my first child during his first year! I doubt you will ever look back and think “I wish I didn’t have this gorgeous picture of my children.”
