The reality of a family photo session.

You see me share many photos from my sessions. I go through all of the images and pull out the "best ones", the ones I know my clients are looking for. In this blog I'm going to take you "behind the scenes" a bit. Even when we get that "perfect shot" of everyone looking AND smiling at the camera together, it doesn't always come easy. Many times, there are pouts, and crying and snack breaks and bribery. Sometimes, we don't even get the "perfect shot". For anyone who is a client of mine or plans to be a client, I wrote a blog a few years back on why striving for "perfection" is not the best idea. You can read it here: Perfectly Imperfect.

Here is a recent session I did. I used to nanny for this family years ago when there were only two boys and they were little. I have been doing their yearly family photos every since. What I love about their sessions is that while they do try for those posed family shots, they also want the "reality". They encourage me to take shots of the boys wrestling, pouting, etc. And EVERY YEAR, they put one of those images on their Christmas card. It's always a collage of images and one is always what most would consider an "outtake". But, it's real life. It's everyone's real life. No matter how well mannered or well behaved your kids are, they all have their moments. WE ALL DO. They may pout or scowl, siblings will fight and not want to sit with each other. We all try to put out what we want others to see, the "BEST" moments, but  those "real" moments are, in my opinion, some of the best too, so why not share them as well? I personally love them. I love the honesty, the way we can look back and laugh and remember those moments when things weren't "perfect"...or maybe they were. :)

 Enjoy these images. You'll see the images that lead up to the more "perfect" shots and see that a family photo shoot isn't just all smiles and easy. :)
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