Oh hey mama, you need family photos! I’m not just staying that because I am a photographer (because I don’t take family photos anyway!) but because I truly believe it to be true.

Why you ask?

Because time goes so.darn.fast. I am not going to sit here an lecture you on how the days are long, but the years are short. You know that. You are LIVING IT. You count the minutes until dad gets home from work. You mentally prepare for the next day while you tuck kids into bed. You are squeezing your 6-year-old on their birthday, wondering how they went from being handed to you in the hospital to nearly not fitting in your lap! We’re in the middle of this together. No matter what your family looks like, how they came to be, or how long you have called each other family, you need photos together because one day, these days will be just memories.

What kind of family photos and how often? Well that is up to you! Once a year is a good goal. Kids grow, hairstyles change, having a photo to send with your Christmas cards every year is always a bonus! Here are some ideas for you as you start to think about your family photos:

IN YOUR HOME

In your home is such a great location for photos because it is where you live! The memories are not only in the people but the spaces!

BEFORE YOU HAVE KIDS

I know plenty of couples who only have professional photos from their wedding day and then not until they had kids. Did you know you are a family even before you have kids? That’s right! Your marriage and partnership is historical, changing, and worthy of being on your walls and in your memory books!

WITH EXTENDED FAMILY

Add grandparents, cousins, siblings into the photos! You won’t regret AND you can share the price of the photographer!

Historical Event

Don’t forget those other historical events along the way. Not just your wedding, but photos in the hospital when your kids are born, at baby showers, in your fixer-upper, at graduation, coming home from deployment. Your family has its own historical markers — make those memories, too!

I know it may be intimidating to do something like this. Maybe you are afraid of the price (there is a WIDE range of photographers at different price points) or maybe you don’t like the way you look (is that a reason to deprive your kids and grandkids of pictures of you?). I want to encourage you to take family photos. Because the days are long, but the years are short.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Ashlee Kay Photography + Megan Klackner Photography + Rachel Beckwith Photography