I Wonder Which Photograph They'll Frame

One of my favorite parts of every family session actually happens weeks after it is over.

The gallery has been delivered, the images have been downloaded, and I find myself wondering which photograph is going to end up framed in their home.

Will it be the one where everyone is smiling at the camera?

Sometimes.

But more often than not, it is something else.

It is the photograph where Dad is laughing because one of the kids said something funny. The one where Mom is looking at her children instead of at me. The one where siblings are giggling together because they forgot we were even taking pictures.

Those are the images that seem to find their way onto walls.

I think there is a reason for that.

Those photographs feel familiar.

They remind us what it was actually like to be a family during that season of life.

Years pass so quickly. The little things that seem ordinary today slowly disappear without us even noticing. The missing front teeth are replaced. The teenager who always had an arm around his little brother leaves for college. The toddler who insisted on bringing her favorite lovey everywhere suddenly doesn't need it anymore.

At the time, those things hardly seem important.

Looking back, they become everything.

That is why I encourage families not to wait until life slows down before scheduling photos. There will always be another ball season, another busy school year, another reason to put it off.

Your family is changing whether your calendar is full or not.

One day these photographs will tell a story your children may not even realize they are looking for. They will see the way you looked at them. They will remember the house, the season, the little traditions, and the people who were standing beside them.

That is the gift of family photography.

It gives your family something to come back to long after this season has passed.

If you are looking for a family photographer in Birmingham who believes the most meaningful photographs are often the ones you never planned, I would love to help you tell your family's story.