Read on for the top excuses to stop making about putting off your family portrait session, and why I think now is the best time you’ll ever find for scheduling your family portraits.
1. I’m worried my kids will act crazy.
I’ve never met a parent who DIDN’T worry about how their children would behave during a portrait session, but I’m going to tell you the same thing I tell every single family that I work with. I fully expect your kids to act like kids, and your baby to act like a baby. Even if that means running around, asserting their independence, needing a snack break, needing a cuddle, pinching their sister — I get it! I would be shocked if every child came to me and was polite and quiet and posed with great big smiles and did exactly what I asked them to do. Can you even imagine?! That’s why we play games, let the kids run around, tickle each other, and sing songs. I want them to act like kids, and I want to capture their big personalities and this season of life that you’re in.
2. I’m not photogenic. I’m so awkward in front of the camera and I hate photos of myself.
Me too! That’s why I’m usually on the other side of the camera, BUT I do make it a point to get in front of the camera a lot more often since we had our son. (Check out this fun session I did with him to celebrate one year as his mama!)
This might be your first time being in family portraits, but I promise you that it’s definitely not my first time making moms and dads look amazing! I promise to give you guidance to look and feel your best, and to photograph you at the most flattering angles so that you look back at these photos and go, “WOW! Why did I wait so long to do this?!”
3. I need to lose 10 pounds first.
Oh gosh, I hear this one all the time. Sometimes dads reach out to plan a session with me (which I love!), but it’s usually the mamas so I’m going speak to the moms on this one.
So many moms are putting off family photos because they don’t want to step in front of the camera when they’re not feeling like the best version of themselves right now. But you know what? There is never going to be a more perfect time than RIGHT NOW. To your child, you are perfect. You are the center of their world. You are their safe place, the one that kisses them when they fall and cuddles them when they’re sad. They start and end their day with you. You are the most important thing in their entire world.
So you have a few extra pounds around your midsection — who doesn’t? Let me help you find a flattering, flowy top or dress and you can squeeze your babies tight and capture all of the cuddles and kisses on camera without worrying about how you look. Leave that part to me, and I will create portraits for you that show the true love and adoration, and all of the fun that you have with your kids.
Thirty years from now, your kids will have children of their own, and they are going to want to look back at old photographs and see their mom when she was in this stage of life, too. So step in front of the camera, love on your kids, and please stop worrying. You are perfect and you’re going to treasure these photos with your babies.
4. My husband won’t cooperate, and he hates photos.
So does mine. ;o) But you know what? He married a photographer so he knows how important photos are to me and he agrees to go with the flow for a quick one-hour session once a year. Explain to him how important it is for you to step out from behind the camera and see yourself in your family portraits, too. With him, with the kids, having fun and doing what you love together.
I keep our sessions very relaxed and playful. At the beginning of every session I tell the families exactly what to expect and what the plan is so that they don’t feel like we’re wandering aimlessly with no end in sight. This is always especially helpful for dads when they know that we have three spots we’ll go to and then we’re done, helping them “count down” in their heads if they want to.
But it always makes me smile when so many dads finish the sessions and they go, “Wow, that’s it? That was actually fun! Honey, did you want any others? This was a lot easier than I thought it would be!” Seriously, that happens ALL THE TIME.
5. Planning what to wear is too stressful.
Leave that to me, then! My goal is to make your session stress-free and fun, and I have outfit guides, Pinterest boards filled with examples, and tools to help you find the perfect outfits. I’ve even had moms ask me to figure out what everyone should wear, and I’m happy to do that, too!
If you don’t want to find anything new, that’s why we have a studio closet filled with gorgeous gowns for mom and cute little outfits for baby. Please don’t let outfits stand in the way of you not getting in the picture with your children. I know it sounds cheesy, but whatever you wear will take a backseat to the smiles and the love in your photos.
6. I can just take pictures on my iPhone. Come on, have you seen the portrait mode feature?
If you’re like me, you have thousands of photos of your kids sitting on your iPhone. But maybe they’re blurry or dark, and there are 23 similar shots that you have to sort through to find one good one of the baby with his beach bucket. And if you’re like me, you never quite get around to organizing them, printing them, or creating an album because life just gets in the way and it is a very big and daunting task.
That’s why you want to hire a professional photographer to capture your family portraits. You’re hiring someone who knows all the best locations and who knows how to find the best light to make your family portraits dreamy and magical. Someone who will put everyone at ease and help them feel relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera. And you’ll finally be in your family’s portraits without your selfie arm on the side of each picture! ;o)
I will do all the work for you, and you just have to show up, have fun, and kiss your babies! I’ll take the photos, choose the very best ones to edit, design and print the most gorgeous linen album, create all of your wall art and gifts for the grandparents, and more! You just have to show up. It’s that easy.
7. It’s too early for holiday cards.
It’s never too early to cross that task off of your (very long) to do list! November and December are busy enough, so why would you wait until then to take photos, choose your favorites, create your cards, address the envelopes, and mail them? That’s stressful!
Personally, I love when families use their spring & summer portraits on their holiday cards, and not just their fall foliage portraits. Unless you have a very young baby that changes from month to month, you can send out family portraits from earlier in the year and no one will know the difference! Actually, they’ll probably see them and ask about your fun beach vacation or compliment your springy dress because they’ll want to use it next spring in their portrait session!
When you plan a portrait session with a professional photographer, your photographer is also a graphic designer and she will create and print gorgeous cards for your family. Ours even come with the envelopes preprinted with your return address! No more struggling with clunky design software at the photo kiosk or on a website, and no more return labels to keep track of for your envelopes!
8. I’m waiting until our family is complete before we do a family session.
I hear this excuse sometimes, and it makes me a little bit sad because that means your older children won’t have any beautiful portraits that show what life was like they they were the center of your world. There won’t be any photographs of you and your partner as new parents, or of just the three (or four!) of you when your children were very young. By the time you get around to portraits with your whole family, you’ll honestly feel a bit more stressed and tired trying to coordinate 2+ kids, their outfits, their nap schedules, their snacks…. so take the time now and do a fun & calm session with your single child. Celebrate this special season that you’re in, and put those memories up on the walls of your home. Then when your final baby is here, let’s plan a session with your entire family and update that family portrait over the couch!
9. It’s probably too expensive, and I’m worried that I won’t love the portraits.
I have been working with families since 2012, and I’m proud to offer them the very best experience and gorgeous heirloom products that they will enjoy for years.
Family portraits are an investment, but all of the families I work with say that they are worth every single penny. I promise to listen to what it is you want from your session, learn about your children and your family, make you feel comfortable in front of the camera, create a fun & memorable hour together, and help you discover the very best ways to display and enjoy your artwork at home. I promise to give you only the most high quality products that you’ll be able to look at and share with your children for years & years to come. I promise that you’ll be looking forward to your next session as soon as these portraits are hanging up on your wall, and I promise to do everything possible so that you love the experience.
10. Life is too busy, and I just don’t have time right now.
There is never going to be a perfect time to do your family’s portraits, but I can assure you that life will only get busier as the years go by and that now is as good a time as any.
Let’s capture your baby as they’re learning to walk. Let’s capture those little ringlets in your toddler’s hair. Let’s capture your son’s wiggly first tooth and your daughter’s proud smile when she lands the perfect cartwheel. Let’s capture the way your kids fit perfectly in your arms when they’re all curled up on your lap.
Now is the perfect time. What are you waiting for?
