The process usually includes an added challenge of setting up a self-timer and tripod, or training a friend or family member to push the shutter button after I set up the shots. In my own family unit, family photos are a rollercoaster. My husband and I love photos to print for our home, but hate getting our picture taken. My daughter is still a baby, and my dog listens about as well as an unbroken
horse. If you want a fun story, ask me about the time I had to leave my camera in the street and sprint towards a car to keep it from hitting my dog, who eloped from a family photoshoot in my backyard. Why am I telling you this? Because I don’t expect you to have your sh*t together during photos, either. I expect teenagers to be teenagers, kids to be kids, toddlers to be toddlers, dogs to be dogs, etc. I embrace the chaos. I love it. It’s what makes a family. I’m honored to bear witness to it- to watch mamas console their nervous littles with hugs and songs, to see husbands make their wives giggle after needing to be told four times where to put their hands, to have the new puppy attack me and lick my camera lens as I try to bribe with treats… The little awkward moments during your photoshoot are meaningful, and they are never a distraction from my work. They are a part of the process. Allowing you to feel at ease and be yourself during a session with me is part of how I create genuine portraits.
