Growing Up: Why Regular Family Portraits are Worth the Hassle

Every year I beg my kids to participate in a family photo session.  Every year it’s harder than it should be.  Every year there is some sort of outfit or hair drama. We usually load into the car with at least one or two people irritated and frazzled, but somehow we always leave the session smiling. Now that the kids are older, we have to work the photo session around four work schedules and four sports schedules.  Finding a time when we’re all together that matches an opening with a photographer is a minor miracle. In spite of the headaches surrounding the planning, we all agree that an annual family photo session is well worth the hassle.

I LOVE the photos my photographer friend Nanci took of our family last year.  I really don’t have a desire to replace them, but here’s the deal.  My kids are growing and changing every day.  One year makes a huge difference in how they look, but it’s easy to forget those changes without a visual reminder.  For example, last year I was taller than both Alli and Katie.  This year, they have passed me up.  Alli’s braces are coming off in a couple of months, while Paige will be getting braces again in a handful of months. Grant has grown at least two inches and is slowly catching up to Curt.  My guess is that by next year they will be seeing eye to eye. It’s important to capture these milestones.  I have never heard a client say, “I really wish we wouldn’t have taken family photos again this year.”  But I constantly hear clients and friends lament the fact that they did NOT take the time to schedule a family photo session. This time with our Babies is fleeting.  I encourage you to make capturing it a priority.

Nanci and I agreed to work together again, but on a smaller scale.  She took all the pictures that included me and I took everything else.  It was fun to collaborate with such a talented photographer.  We laughed our way through our photo session and are super stoked to get the final images.  The time I had to take photos of the kids was really limited.  Given our time constraints, I was really pleased with how they turned out.  Here are some of my favorites.

Grant is a senior this year.  Katie a junior.  Alli a freshman.  THREE high schoolers.  How crazy is that?  Paigey is solidly in the middle of middle school as a 7th grader.  Time is slipping away faster than I’d prefer, so I am trying to soak in every minute.  I am exceedingly proud of the people our kids are becoming.  They love well. Enjoy life fully. Laugh freely.  It’s my biggest honor to be their mom and I sure do love My People.

#jodistilpphotography #familyportraits #fourkids #mybabies