There is never a bad time to get family portraits. In fact, there's never a bad time to have professional portraits taken, period. You could be a single person living alone, a childless couple, or an older adult without children of your own who has been meaning to document your life with pictures. The average age that people have their first child is 27 - and the only regret many parents have is that they didn't take a family portrait before they had kids! Your life is happening now, it is not on hold until a magical age or the addition of a new family member. Capture every stage of life and celebrate the journey along the way.
3 reasons to get Family Pictures BEFORE Kids
Family pictures are way more fun before kids. They are much less stressful because you don't have to worry about how they will behave for the photos or who will be taking the pictures. It is also easier to dress 1 or 2 people than 3, 4, 5, 6...
Celebrate the heart of your relationship, your passion. As it is today. Personally, I wish I had more pictures of my husband and me from before our son was born. When our love was fresh and unaffected by the complexities of parenthood. Because it wasn't better. But it WAS different. Your love WILL change after children. And it's so important to enjoy, capture, and remember every single stage of the journey. We have photos from after his birth, as we made it a priority. But those years before we became a family of 3 are only captured in selfies, and I wish we had done more photoshoots!
It sets the stage for your future. A family portrait is a snapshot of who you are AND who you want to be. The photos can remind your children of what it felt like to be young and to have hope for the future. It's not about vanity, but a legacy. We're not talking about the typical "I just need 1 good shot to post on Facebook" stuff, we're talking about real memories that will last forever. The story of your love.
Choosing a Photographer
Choosing a photographer for your adult-only family shoot can be tricky. While some people would say the market is over-saturated, I disagree.
We all have our specialties.
I don't do weddings. Noise, crowds, and following someone else's timeline just ISNT my jam. At least not in this stage of my life and career.
For me, sessions are a beautiful creative escape from the hustle and bustle of life. A chance to forget the business, the chaos, the real world. And lose myself in someone else's love story.
At heart, I am a storyteller and a caregiver. I love to curate and capture experiences that showcase the core values that make each family unique.
I document the story. The journey. That's MY style.
But you better believe that some of my favorite photographers THRIVE in a loud, crowded environment. and capture absolute killer images on the dance floor, or during the sparkler exit.
Or the AMAZING portrait photographers who create styled scenes with so many layers of meaning, symbolism, and perfection that I could stare at their images for hours.
There are different photographers for different people, needs, and styles.
So connecting with your photographer is so important. I suggest following some photographers on social media if you're just not sure and checking out not only their photos, but their stories and behind-the-scenes videos and captions to get to know their personalities. Do you need someone to make you laugh? What kind of person makes you feel at ease and relaxed?
Remember When
You can’t go back to your “before” time after you have kids. And (most of the time) you don't want to. But there are some things that just change. It was so easy to get dressed up, take photos, and feel beautiful before you have kids. Not because pregnancy, parenthood, or growing older MAKES you any less beautiful. But we just don't prioritize self-care in the same way after kids. You just can't. When there's another human to keep alive, the hours in the day seem to get cut in half.
Remember the feeling of jumping in the car and just going on an adventure? It doesn’t last long. Take advantage of your beautiful moments before you have kids so you have pictures to go along with the stories you have to share the older your children get.
But what about the parents? Is it too late?
I will say this slowly.
ab-so-lute-ly not.
In fact, I would almost argue that you should prioritize photos together even after kids. Because those quiet moments together are so rare.
So let's make a date night out of it. Call grandma or your go-to babysitter. Come hang out and kick off a romantic date night with a cozy photoshoot o remind you of the love and connection that started your family in the first place.
Family photos are a treasure that won't ever go out of style. They are a souvenir of your loved ones, your favorite moments, and the memories you'll treasure forever. There's no wrong time to get photos. No waiting for kids. No magic combination of "complete" your family needs to be. Capture it at every stage and have memories to show the world, yourselves, and future generations the power and magic of your love story.
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