HOW I KEEP MY MEMORIES FROM GOING FUZZY AND WHY IT MATTERS

When I think of the photographs that I can make for your family, I automatically think of the photos that I make for my own family. If you’re reading up on family photos, I’m guessing that you’re a parent like me, living the same kind of whirlwind life I’m living. So it feels safe to assume that you and I are longing for some of the same things: namely, to never lose sight of the wonder and joy of the best moments of this precious family life we’re living; to feel seen and appreciated for all the work it takes to love and care for our little people during the short years they’re ours to hold. 

Here are some questions to consider (and my own very personal answers) as you contemplate the story you want your family photo session to tell. 

When you think of your own family life, what are the things that make your heart melt?

I absolutely love the way my kids see wonder in the world. They’re always learning, exploring and discovering. Like when my baby figures out how to stack blocks or lego - I’m just blown away and I feel like I can see the gears in his brain turning. Or when my boys use their imagination to craft forts and tents to play in together - their ingenuity at such a young age makes this mama proud and I marvel at their companionship. When we go out to the park, or apple picking, or the beach, and I get to observe their appreciation for all things nature it reminds me to drop adult worries for a while and join them in this  beautiful world they inhabit. These are the things that melt my heart - so, they’re the things I most want to photograph.

When you think about having family photos, what are they for? 

I never want to forget how my heart fills with joy when I see my kids at ease with the simplicity of childhood; their innocent delight at what the world has to offer. Even more: I want them to remember the beauty of their childhood! The photos I take are meant to preserve these memories in a physical and tangible form, since they would otherwise just turn into a soft haze that lingers pleasantly on the periphery of our minds. Fond recollections that would forever remain just beyond our grasp. I’m not letting go of my memories that easily. I want photos and I want them in a book and on my walls where we can all enjoy them long after my hard drive crashes or my smart phone is replaced by the next model. It’s not indulgent to crave these important parts of life - the tradition of making and preserving family photographs is a long and beautiful one that I’m happy to keep up for me and my own kids. 

What other benefits do you get from having these family photos?

I’m going to be open with you: being a mom is hard work. Parenting is tough. I love my kids to pieces, but there are some days that I just want to close my door and tune out for 5 minutes. Sometimes, when the days get long, and we all get on each other, and I maybe wasn’t the best mom I wanted to be, I turn to those photographs of my kids and remind myself that that’s just what they are - still kids! I see their innocent, carefree expressions, and take comfort that even if not every single day is Mom-of-the-Year material, their childhood is the perfect blissfulness childhood should be. I might not win every day but I have actual proof that overall, we’re building good kids, happy kids. I need this reminder. And there will come days that they need it too. Eventually, they will leave the nest and life will move on. The photos remain as a testament to the life we built, they built. 

Why not just portraits? 

Storytelling photography is about going beyond the look of our faces at a certain point in time to the deeper goals of  preserving moments that often go unseen and are taken for granted; the ones that seem like nothing, but really are everything. The nuances of laughter and tears, long days and even longer nights, the hard lessons, the connections, and raw beauty; all woven together…this is my “why”.

I’ve become their observer, their documentarian, their adoring fan. I have the photos to prove it. 

Don’t you worry, though. We still get some “everyone-looking-at-the-camera” portraits, and I can do that for you too.

How would you answer these questions for yourself? Do they stir a craving for this kind of photography of your own life? If the answer is yes, let’s not waste another minute - let’s get your date on my calendar and start your own storytelling photography process.