I have been wanting to get our family of five's photos done for quite some time now. I remember emailing the same photographer months ago that I was interested in setting up a session. Of course I have plenty good photos of the kids, together, separate, you name it. But I really wanted a few updated photos of our grown family. Maybe even one of Paul and I. Maybe one of Ella and I, or a baby and I. These are shots that I myself being a photographer cannot capture. So, I finally set up a session. It was scheduled last night.
I have literally spend the past three weeks preparing. Coordinating outfits, ordering multiple bows and headbands online for the girls to match. Getting my hair done. Making sure Paul could be off work early to help me prepare on the day. Going to three, yes three different Old Navy stores to get the specific shoes I wanted for the girls in each of their sizes. Preparing five coordinating outfits (well, really 10 because we had an outfit change) was extremely difficult! Much more so than two years ago when I was planning for the three of us. I remember buying Ella a shirt back then and scrounging something up in mine and Paul's closets to match. Then I was stressing yesterday that they wouldn't get good naps, would be fussy, would get some bump, bruise, or scrape that would be so awful that we would have to reschedule. And then of course there is the weather. The weather plays such a huge part in outdoor photos.
Well, the photo shoot is now over. It was windy and got chilly. It didn't rain though, so that was good. Hailee and Hannah were ok, for the most part. Hailee smiled more than Hannah which is not the norm. Ella was a handful a few different times, but we managed her (somewhat). I must say, we were EXHAUSTED when we got home. The shoot lasted about two hours. That is a while for a family photo shoot. But, with five people it is to be expected. Paul, the photographer and I literally spend two hours, jumping around, clapping, yelling, chasing babies, resetting babies, etc. Hannah would not sit or stand for anything. She just kept walking and walking. Ella kept running. It was close to being disastrous at times. Luckily our photographer has four kids of her own and totally gets it.
All I can think about now is how much work our photographer has! She's going to be Photoshopping heads with other photos like there's no tomorrow. I remember last time feeling like she was expensive. Now I feel like she is too cheap! Ha! She will definitely be working for her money this time! We are anxious to see how they turn out. They have got to be better than the only family photos of the five of us that we have to this point. You remember, the one from Easter? I'm sure it will take her a few weeks to edit and I will be SURE to post when I get them back from her.
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| Our best family photo yet. Ha! |
That's another thing that I now understand about being a photographer. I remember our last session feeling like two weeks was FOREVER to edit photos. Really, how long can it take?! Now I know, a long time, a lot of work, especially when you have a family to care for during the day and can only work once everyone is in bed. I will respect even more now how much planning and effort my clients put into their sessions. The preparation was exhausting. I feel like us having our own family session is exactly what I needed before a summer of new photo sessions! I am even more excited now to shoot the families that I have coming up!
Family photographs are so important to me. I have a passion for photography and that is why I do what I do. But, I think it is so important to have full family photos, mom and dad included, not just of the kids. I will never regret the money we spend on photography. Memories are priceless. I will always cherish our photos together, even with a screaming (or running) baby or two in a few of them ;)
Here are a few of my favorites from our session almost two years ago:
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