As Valentine’s Day becomes a forgettable passing dot on the calendar, we don’t want to let the awesome power of LOVE disappear with it! Celebrating the theme of “two,” however, is not limited to romantic couples. Holding the hand of your grandparent, getting a big hug from a child whose arms don’t yet fit around you, or feeling the warmth of a furry friend in your lap all make great photos, too. Seeing those impossible-to-replace moments can evoke the feeling and keep them alive in your mind. They also fill your home with warm fuzzies that everyone who enters can share.
While I loved all of my “Celebrate Love” clients, Zoey and her 94-year-old grandmother touched my heart in a special way. I was so close with my late grandmother, and her sudden loss still saddens me- as does her absence in the frequent photos I take with my husband and my kids. I can’t bring my own grandmother back, but I can bring this message of urgency to my friends and clients: don’t put off photos for later, because “later” may be too late.
As a mom to two littles, I understand how easy it is for time to get away from us. And I definitely understand the reluctance to schedule family portraits until we feel the best about our appearance. Believe me, there are things I’m self-conscious about, too! But really good photographs are works of art. Professional photographers have a knack for highlighting your best features, and when a genuine moment is captured, no one is looking at that one thing the subject is self-conscious about. So why delay? My experience has been that getting great portraits with your favorite people just makes you want to do it again later when things change, as things always tend to do. But sometimes you get lucky: the wedding portrait with your new puppy might later be hung beside your kid’s senior picture with the aging family dog! So schedule the shoot, and order the prints. Your future self will thank you.
