Guys! Mini Sessions were such a blast this year! I’m so proud of them. I have the best families! I really feel so honored when families trust me to take their photos.

But can we just stop and take a moment of silence for all the mom’s who braved family photos over the past month?

If that isn’t the most intense day of any mom’s year, then I do not know what is. First of all we talked our fellas into showing up. Then we were able to secure a date that worked in the midst of our family’s busy fall schedule and somehow kept the time secured. We bought and coordinated 3+ outfits that actually fit everyone and kept them clean until the shoot. We found time to get ourselves looking “decent” and finished applying makeup in the car. Then we arrived on time for our very specific time slot (who had the 11:05 time?). We begged, bribed and threatened our kids before any of this started and then we hoped and prayed  ALL OF OUR kids would look at the camera and smile AT THE SAME TIME for just one shot. We yelled at them to “get back over here” and “look at the photographer” and then we jumped around and shook toys behind the camera to hopefully produce a smile. By the end of the 20 minutes, we are so emotionally drained and physically exhausted, we didn’t actually care how they turned out, we’re just glad they were over. Anyone else? Or is this just me?

I hesitate to write that, because I hope for most of my families, it isn’t like that. I hope that I have made the day as stress-free as possible and have taken away the burden of “producing a smile for the camera,” but I am a mom and I have been there and somehow it is still so stressful. Many times I see it on your faces or hear it in your voices. As a photographer I do my best to relieve some of the pressure from the parents by engaging the kiddos and making it fun! But as a mom, I stress at my own shoots and feel sympathetic for other moms during theirs!

Regardless of how stress free or stressful your family photos were, I see you. And I am proud of you. Pictures are important, they will give our kiddos a sense of family and hopefully identity, while documenting some important times in their lives and also giving a snap shot of fashion trends (good and bad!) Ha!

Hopefully I will find time to post a few sessions here, but until then, here’s a look at a few different families from October!