and the moments fly by so fast.
Is this what your photo albums look like?
I admit. I am guilty too. I take many photos of my children from my phone. Why not? I always have my phone with me. It takes a decent photo. I can immediately upload it to Facebook and text it to my family.
Three year old Jenny looks so adorable when she tries on your high heels and tries to clunk about the house in them. You get the cutest photo of her on your iPhone, upload it to Facebook and everyone comments on how adorable Jenny looks. You have preserved this moment forever.
Or have you?
Are all your phone photos backed up? Where will these photos on Facebook be in 10.. 15.. 20.. years? Who knows? Yes the “digital age” has made it so easy. Again, I am guilty too.
Recently we were reorganizing our house. I had out all our family photo albums. Lucas (my 8 year old) spent hours looking at my baby album (thank you Mom for a wonderful first year album), our wedding album, photo albums throughout the years of college and travel pre-children and even his own photo albums. Jeremy (my six year old) asks “where’s my baby album?” Um well here it is. A beautiful baby album with three pages of photos. I went digital shortly after his birth, so while my Lucas has three photo albums, Jeremy has 1 unfinished album.
I print. I print photos a lot. I have boxes and boxes of printed photos. My children do not enjoy digging through photos in shoeboxes. They enjoy looks at photos in an album. It is a book, a storybook so to say and turning the pages of these memories makes me happy to watch.
Not only now but years from now when they have their own children. Again, thank you Mom for making me a beautiful baby album that my kids love to look at. “Look at Mommy in the bathtub.” “Mommy you really loved Snoopy.” Yes I did, I was a huge fan of Snoopy. Do I remember my Snoopy stage? Not really. It is evident from the photos I really loved Snoopy. Even though it is hard to think of when the people who remember this time are gone I will still have the photos in my beautiful album to remind me of that special time.
I have clients who schedule sessions year after year with me to acquire albums of their children. They love my albums and admit they are the only photo albums they have of their children. I love that they appreciate the value of this memory keepsake. However in a photography session like this we are normally trying to capture the children and family in portraits as well as those candid moments for an album.
I was approached recently by one of these clients who wanted me to spend a day with the family. Just documenting daily life and the moments that you forget but are special. I love this idea. I love photographing these moments and usually my favorite images from a session are the moments that don’t necessarily end up hanging on the wall.
So I am now offering “Documenting a Day in the Life” photography sessions. Then Jenny and her heels will be captured by a professional photographer and preserved forever in a beautiful album. Or how about when baby wakes up from nap, all sweet and pink cheeked? When you bath you little guys and a splash party ensues? Charla practicing her violin? Daddy and son playing baseball outside? Making cookies with your little sous chefs? Pancake breakfast? Story time before nap? The laugh you get when you sing that silly song as you get her dressed? The look your children get when Daddy gets home from work? Tea time with her favorite Dolly?
I am sure you have caught some of these moments with your camera. How about hiring a professional photographer into your home for a day capturing them silently then printing them on beautiful archival paper to preserve forever in a album? When you contact me we will begin with a discussion about your children and what you are looking to capture at this time. What are your favorite moments throughout the day? In addition to those moments you don’t realize that a third party can see. I will ask you questions about your children and your family. We will schedule the session around what you looking to create with this album. In addition to the album, this “Documenting a Day in the Life” photography experience includes a DVD musical slideshow of all the images and a 16×20 gallery-wrapped canvas of your favorite image. The DVD slideshow will be a great addition to your home collection, imagine showing the DVD at their next birthday party, at their high school graduation party or even their wedding.
These sessions are not just limited to young children, older children as well or even newborn babies. It is not just about the children, I would hope Mom and Dad would like to participate in the days activities.
So please contact me for more information. I would be happy to speak with you.
If an investment into a custom photography experience is not something your family can do right now then I would hope you would consider printing more photos to make your own albums. I am currently working on an album from 2006. =) It is the best present you can give your children and you they will thank you some day.
Thank you Mom for my 1976 Bicentennial Baby album. The pages are slightly yellowed and the binding has seen better days but it is one of my most prized possessions.
