05/21/2026
Sharing my 2 cents again today as the mom of a graduate.
After spending an embarrassing number of hours this week going through 18 years of photos, I realized something surprising… none of the perfectly posed “everyone look here and smile” photos made it into my favorites folder.
It’s not because I don’t love them. I do. They served their purpose. They looked beautiful on Christmas cards and framed on the walls.
But the photos that really made me feel something?
The ones that instantly took me back to who she actually was in that season of life?
Those were the in-between moments.
The fake little camera smile she used for every photo during her 3rd year.
The way she used to study every tiny thing she found at the beach.
The way she's always loved nature so intensely.
The day she had hot cocoa for the first time and discovered one of her true passions in life.
The moments that showed her quirky, hilarious, gentle, and loving personality instead of just what she looked like.
As a photographer, going through these photos has reminded me of why I became a photographer in the 1st place. I wanted to help families beautifully capture those moments that made them feel something.
Yes, I’ll absolutely get the smiling-at-the-camera photo for grandma. But the photos I really want my clients to walk away with are the ones that feel like their child. The expressions, the movement, the weird little phases, the things they’re obsessed with, the way their whole face lights up when they laugh.
And honestly? This is also why I’ll always recommend a full session over mini sessions. Minis are great for a quick updated photo, but full sessions give kids time to relax and be themselves. That’s usually when the magic happens. The in-between moments can’t be rushed.
Because one day you’ll be sitting on the floor surrounded by graduation photos, wondering how 18 years disappeared so fast… and those are the images that will bring them back to you for just a second.
