Family Sessions ~ My Heart for Them and About Them
A while back I expressed how much my heart has changed as far as family sessions go. For such a long time I've been stuck. Stuck feeling like I was slowly backing myself into a corner and I didn't know how to get out. "Families are fun, kids are precious," I would tell myself. But I slowly started to cringe when I'd get an inquiry from a family. I shouldn't start dreading family sessions. But I was. They usually went something like this...
All we got were tortured, tearful kids, frustrated parents, a cringing (on the verge of tears as well) me, not knowing how to get things back on track.
What to do? I started to really think about my part in all this. If things weren't going smoothly, I most certainly was part of the problem. I needed to have control over the situation, and I didn't. Maybe I wasn't setting up my clients properly. Maybe I needed to prep them better. I thought about kiddos and having worked with them for so many years in daycare and my local Community Bible Study children's program, not to mention having three of my own, I could imagine how awful this whole thing was for them. They're tired, hungry, in uncomfortable, fancy clothes that mom doesn't want dirty let alone touched or wrinkled. All the while the only thing they want to do is play in the dirt and have a good time. Instead of fun, all he/she is getting is yelled at. THAT was the problem. They weren't having fun!
The expectations were for perfection, not capturing life and relationship. That was where we were going wrong. I knew the answer was to change what I was doing, what we all were doing. The new question was how?
Enter the "lifestyle" session. Kidswant need to play! How often do they really get to sit down with mom and dad and just hang out and play. Probably not as often as we parents like to think happens. I "are" one, unfortunately :( We had a lifestyle family session done a while back and it was so different. It was about us, being a family, not being perfect. Thank heavens because, we. are. NOT. perfect!
I have changed how I do my family sessions, dramatically! I know this isn't the typical "update the Christmas card" session. I know this isn't the cheap Walmart or JcPenny's "snap and go" session, I know this session will take me extra time for prep, shooting, editing... But, the quickie "snap and go" session is not my heart, nor my goal. I never have been a "Studio Quickie" kind of photographer. So, why did I feel like I was becoming this? It was time for a change. Not knowing what kind of response I would get, I took the plunge.
To read more about my heart on this, you can check out the post here. To see more of what my "lifestyle" session looks like, you can check out the Frerking Family, Smith Family or Craigen Family posts or you can check out the Frerking Family's video below.
To see the beautiful proof box and thumb drive that would come with your all inclusive "lifestyle" session, you check that out here :)
Me:
"ok everyone, you go here, you go there, you stand here"
"look at me, hey cute kiddo, peek a boo"
"look here, everyone look here, smile"
"look like you're having fun"
"look like you love each other"
"haha, laugh, haha"
"hey kiddo, look here!"
Mom and Dad:
"say cheese"
"listen to the photographer"
"stand still"
"stand still and say cheese"
"get over here"
"leave your brother alone"
"stand still!"
"LISTEN to her!"
"STAND STILL OR NO CANDY!"
"NO! Don't sit in the dirt!"
"Stop messing with each other"
"CUT IT OUT!"
"DO YOU WANT ME TO GIVE YOU A SPANKING?!?!?!"
All we got were tortured, tearful kids, frustrated parents, a cringing (on the verge of tears as well) me, not knowing how to get things back on track.
What to do? I started to really think about my part in all this. If things weren't going smoothly, I most certainly was part of the problem. I needed to have control over the situation, and I didn't. Maybe I wasn't setting up my clients properly. Maybe I needed to prep them better. I thought about kiddos and having worked with them for so many years in daycare and my local Community Bible Study children's program, not to mention having three of my own, I could imagine how awful this whole thing was for them. They're tired, hungry, in uncomfortable, fancy clothes that mom doesn't want dirty let alone touched or wrinkled. All the while the only thing they want to do is play in the dirt and have a good time. Instead of fun, all he/she is getting is yelled at. THAT was the problem. They weren't having fun!
The expectations were for perfection, not capturing life and relationship. That was where we were going wrong. I knew the answer was to change what I was doing, what we all were doing. The new question was how?
Enter the "lifestyle" session. Kids
I have changed how I do my family sessions, dramatically! I know this isn't the typical "update the Christmas card" session. I know this isn't the cheap Walmart or JcPenny's "snap and go" session, I know this session will take me extra time for prep, shooting, editing... But, the quickie "snap and go" session is not my heart, nor my goal. I never have been a "Studio Quickie" kind of photographer. So, why did I feel like I was becoming this? It was time for a change. Not knowing what kind of response I would get, I took the plunge.
To read more about my heart on this, you can check out the post here. To see more of what my "lifestyle" session looks like, you can check out the Frerking Family, Smith Family or Craigen Family posts or you can check out the Frerking Family's video below.
To see the beautiful proof box and thumb drive that would come with your all inclusive "lifestyle" session, you check that out here :)
To find out more or to book your lifestyle session, please email me here.
His eye is on the sparrow and I know He is watching over me. ♥ Matthew 10:29-31
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