How are you doing when it comes to your Family Pictures?
Yeah, that part of your to-do-list that keeps being pushed to the summer, to the fall, to next summer, … I can relate!
Have you ever heard of the saying ‘the shoemaker’s kids don’t have shoes’?
Well, I might be winning the procrastinator’s gold award this year. You see, in 2019, my dad visited from Germany. Naturally, I thought it’d be a great time to do our family photos. And we did. It was the first time for us to do them professionally – if it counts that a professional photographer sets everything up including the self-timer before positioning herself in the group. But for the past almost 4 years, my family has been the ‘shoemaker’s kids’.
Yes, I hate to admit that it took me this long to print, frame, and hang our portraits. I could name all kinds of excuses but I’ll refrain from that. Now, that they are up on our wall in the living room, I absolutely love how they look! I love the sizes:
a 36x24 of the whole family & a 20x24 of just the hubby & I with our kids and the dog.
And the 30x20 of the grandkids with Gramma & Papa is in our dining room.
The protective spray coating finish on the prints allowed us to frame them without any glass, so there are no reflections or glare. The frames beautifully match the colors and natural session location as well as our home.
So, why did it take me so long to do our family session in the first place?
My youngest child had just turned 10, and I was in my 14th year of professional photography by then!
Yup, I was always waiting for the ‘perfect’ time, trying to choose the ‘perfect’ outfits, thinking of the ‘perfect’ location, and whatever else I thought needed to be ‘perfect’. After all, I am a professional photographer – so, my own family’s portraits really should be ‘perfect’, right?
NOW I know it all depends on your definition of ‘perfect’. I am looking at my family’s portraits, finally on my walls, and yes, they are absolutely perfect to me.
I try not to kick myself for waiting this long – I could have been enjoying them for the last 3 and a half years already!
Perfect is NOW !
But what did eventually cause me to do family pictures?
- I needed to DO WHAT I PREACH to my (potential) clients.
- My Dad was visiting from Germany. He was 77 years old at the time – who knows how many more times he’ll be able to make the trip across the ocean?!
- My oldest kiddo was starting his Senior year in High School. Once he was going to be done with that and off to his next step, it would be much more difficult to get us all together at the same time.
Did I learn anything from this? You bet! Now, my youngest child is a Freshman in High School and
I’m planning – YES, I am PLANNING! –
on doing new family photos just before or during his Senior year.
It’s interesting (and a bit scary) to think of that time:
Will the oldest be married by then? Where will the next child be – he’s currently at USMC Bootcamp. I hope he’ll at least be on this continent. Otherwise, this will be a studio session and between Photoshop & I we will composite our family photo (like the one below) – I’m becoming quite a pro with that and it truly is a wonderful tool to be able to create family portraits of ‘all of us’ even though we weren’t all in the same location at the same time.
So, are you planning? Can I help? Call me:
715.213.3405
Remember, Perfect is NOW !
Blessings to you & your family!
Heike C. O’Day
Your Photographer
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