Why you should be in the photos too
I photograph a lot of families, and I notice the same thing at nearly every session. One parent walks in already apologizing. For their hair, for their arms, for the ten pounds, for “not being photogenic.” Almost always the one who arranged the whole thing. This post is for you.
The excuse
I will just take the pictures, you say. And you do. Your phone holds thousands of photographs of everyone you love, and you appear in almost none of them. Scroll back through last year and count how many times you show up. For most of the parents I photograph, the answer is a handful, mostly accidental.
The truth
Your children do not see what you see in the mirror. They see the person who read to them, carried them, showed up. One day, sooner than any of us likes to think, these photographs will be how they visit you. Nobody has ever looked at a picture of their mother and wished she had thinner arms. They just wish there were more pictures.
The fix
You do not have to feel ready. That is my job, not yours. I pose the angles, I mind the light, and most of the session you will be too busy being climbed on to remember the camera exists. Comfortable clothes, one deep breath, and permission to be exactly as you are. That is the entire list of requirements.
“
I almost cancelled twice. The photo of me and my daughter from that morning is now the only thing I would save in a fire.
Danielle – Motherhood session, charleston
Get in the frame
If it helps, tell me you are nervous in your first message and we will plan the session around it. But be in the photographs. Future you is already grateful.
