Confession Time - Family Photography by Natarsha March
Well, I have a confession to make.
We have never had professional family photos taken for us.
Gasp!!
I cant believe I just told you that.
It's horrifying I know. Most people wont even believe it, but I am sad to say, it's entirely true.
I guess its kind of like how a chef rarely cooks at home, or the old saying of the cobblers children having the worst shoes in town. You are so busy doing something you love for your job that you don't find the time to enjoy it for yourself.
So I bit the bullet and we booked a wonderful photographer to capture our family photos for the first time ever.
And I found out a WHOLE lot about myself and what it is like to be on the other side of the camera.
ITS SCARY
I am a control freak, an over-thinker, a worrier, a perfectionist and very neurotic. This works well for me as a business owner and photographer as I cross all Ts and dot all the I's methodically working for the families I photograph, but not so much fun for my own family as I try to control things out of my control. Like the weather. Thankfully our photographer talked me through everything to expect on the day and we all really enjoyed the experience.
I TOTALLY STALKED HER
Yep. I couldn't help but keep scrolling through her website and social media pages in the days before our shoot, confirming to myself that I made the right choice and that our family would look as amazing as the other families she has photographed. (We did.)
I PANICKED
We left our clothes selections to the last minute and as a result we were one of those families doing the mad dash to the shops on the afternoon of our shoot to grab one more fresh t-shirt or skirt or ... something... to finish the family outfits. I will definitely have our outfits sorted at least three days ahead of the shoot next time around.
I FELL MORE IN LOVE WITH MY FAMILY
The photography session wasn't about the photos. The photography session was all about hanging out with my family, completely in the moment, all together and enjoying family time without distractions. My kids are gorgeous, and in the day-to-day grind we sometimes forget how awesome they are. My husband is amazing. We hadn't laughed with each other like that in so long, it was like we were newly-dating again.
WE WENT OUT FOR DINNER AFTER
Because of course we did - how often do you get the whole family looking nice at the end of the day? After an afternoon of playing together, laughing and snuggling at the beach a nice family dinner together was always going to be on the cards.
What I learnt...
Photography sessions are a family experience.
It is a day to connect and be in the moment together.
The prints on the wall are the end result, unique personal artwork for your home that celebrate's your family every day.
THE PRINTS ARE MORE THAN "JUST PRINTS"
Having our family photos professionally printed on heirloom products and hanging pride of place in our home feels amazing. I love the images, but more than that, every time I look at them I am reminded of our family connection and our relationship with each other is in this phase of our lives. We will grow and change and over time, but this moment of playful joy at the beach that day, it's captured forever.
I WILL TOTALLY DO IT AGAIN
Having our family photography session was such a wonderful bonding experience that I absolutely want to do it again each year. To have our love and our little family unit immortalised like this is such a luxury and a treat. These images of us, young and happy are so very special, in fact special isn't a good enough word. There isn't a word with enough weight for how special this is. It is our family. It is us. While we live day in day out we grow, we change, and one day these will be our "good old days" and I want to savour that as much as I can.
Thankfully, with photography and professionally printed products, we can.
