I grew up in a household where pictures were taken on a regular basis. My parents invested in good quality cameras through the years and took many portraits of my sister and I. They valued photo sessions just as much as candid family shots taken on different occasions. These photos are so important for me now that I’m a mom. I love comparing my younger self to my kids and showing them how I dressed or styled my hair in those eras. Photos tell a story. Your story!

Anyone can photograph anything.

In 2021, the majority of the population have smartphones with an integrated camera on them all the time. For myself, I take a lot of pics of my kids with my phone. I can easily take 2K-3K pictures every year. No special skills are needed to use those cameras. Open the app, press the button, find your subject and you have a picture. They might not always be show stopping portraits but they are your memories of your family and you should definitely capture all those moments.

How often should I take professional photos?

For my family, I ask them ONCE A YEAR around the Holidays to be able to send out my annual Christmas card. It’s been a tradition for us since my husband and I got married. We had moved away from our families and friends to start our careers and wanted to share our growing family with those far away. I think that once a year is very reasonable especially with kids. They grow up and change so fast that I want to make sure we capture them every year. I can’t speak for everyone but that’s what I do. Of course being a photographer mama, I do take more professional portraits of them then a typical family, but they are usually individual ones of them.

Why should I book a photographer?

Well that one is pretty easy to answer. Because we want everyone included in the portraits. Mamas are often the family photographer, so guess who is rarely in the pictures… Moms (Maybe it’s Dads in your case, but you get my point!)! Booking a family session will guarantee to have all the family members included and they will have a better printing quality to them. I will print 4”x6” photos from my phone to fill up our albums, but my 8”x10” frames need high quality portraits for that size and larger.

Some photographers are too expensive for my budget.

Just like in any profession, there is a professional for every budget. Do your research beforehand in your area or look up to maybe 1 hour in driving distance. Once you find someone in your budget, have looked at their portfolios and have been satisfied with the service, chances are very likely for you to book with the same photographer next time and not have to do hours upon hours of research. Another thing to keep a lookout for are mini-sessions. They have become so popular that almost every photographer offers them now. Of course some are pricier than others but they are definitely for the bargain hunters. You get professional portraits in about 15-20 minutes for a fraction of the price. You might not receive 100 photos afterwards, but will you really be printing or sharing 100? Our mini-sessions offer 5 portraits of your choice with the possibility of purchasing more after. So if you have a hard time choosing only 5 photos and you have a little room in your budget, then you can get more. And having a short session is definitely a winner for everyone. My kids are used to being photographed and still won’t give me more than 15 minutes. So what I’m trying to say is, the mini-session option might be more reasonable price wise and time wise and can fit in your budget every year.

CL