(There are three different ways you can view this - watch the video with me talking about why family photos are so important, scroll through the photo slides from the video, or just read a plain text version right at the bottom.)
You know all the usual reasons for getting photos taken of your family. To remember what you all look like. To remember how little they were. A record of how tall your kids were, what colour their hair was, whether they look more like mum or like dad. To freeze a moment in time to look back on for years to come. To capture the now to keep for later.
Don't get me wrong, all those things are important, and great reasons to get family photos.
There's something more important than all of those things though. Your photo shoot is to help you SEE.
But there's something more important than all of those things.
Your photo shoot is to help you SEE.
See the perfect in the imperfect.
See the beauty in the every day.
See why this moment, this family,
this life you've created,
why it is enough.
See what really matters. Not the things; the stuff; the house or the car or the decor or the clothes - we spend so much of our time worrying about and working towards those things.
But there's so much more than that. I want to help you see it. I want to help your kids see it. Your family, your love, your reason for being and doing.
I know how it goes as a parent. You get caught up in the daily treadmill, pumping it round as fast as your legs can go, trying to keep up with the demands of endless dinners and skinned knees and dreaming of a full night's sleep. You work so hard to provide the best possible future and the best possible present for these little people you love so much, the best chance for you all.
But sometimes you forget about the right now, and just how magical it is when you stop and take notice.
So this is your invitation to stop.
FEEL those little arms around your neck. See those big, innocent eyes looking up at you like you are the sun and the stars and the answer to every problem. See how much they've grown while you weren't watching.
Take a moment out from the daily chaos, the grind of living, and just be in the moment.
This moment. Right now. This is perfect.
So let's cut through the chaos and clutter and craziness together. Let's get to the core of what matters to you.
Before you even see your photos, I want you to see: This is why I do it. This is why it's all worthwhile.
THIS is what matters.
And then when you have those reminders on your walls, in front of you every day, you'll see over and over and over again: this family, this love, this life - this is what matters.
Of course, if you can't do a professional photo shoot right now, that doesn't mean you can't have photos that will help you focus on the things that really matter in your life. Take the photo. Have a friend take the photo. Do whatever you can to capture those little moments. Not just the way they look, but how they look at you. Not just how big they are, but how they fit in your arms. Not just what being a family looks like, but what being a family feels like.
If snapshots are all you have, then make sure you take those snapshots every chance you get.
And if you'd like something more than snapshots, something that really captures all the emotions and the personality and helps you see the perfection in the imperfection, well... you know where to find us!
Megan x