Take the pictures mama. ALL OF THEM. Take your own with your phone day-to-day. But do not forget to invest in professional photography to capture the professional beauty that your phone just cannot obtain. Are you pregnant? Now is the time to start thinking about this! Let’s get to it:
1) WHY SPEND THE MONEY ON PHOTOGRAPHY?
There is no better way to capture your precious moments than with professional photography or videography. You literally will not look back and regret the investment in preserving those special pieces of your life. Professionals are talented artists that can give you ten-fold what you can attempt to achieve on your own, forcing your children to say “cheese”. Professional photography captures the raw, real, and candid moments that make up who we truly are, and the pictures turn out so authentic. The beautiful memories are so very cherished beyond belief. If I had to take just a carload of my family’s belongings, our professional photo albums would be part of the must-haves.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU PLAN TO HAVE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS TAKEN?
Well, I’m a photography lover. Serious addict, here. With each of my three children, I chose to capture the full spectrum of the maternity/newborn process. This included:
- Pregnancy announcement
- Gender reveal (Tip: you can actually do both the announcement and gender photos in one session. Choose and shoot a boy/girl photo op and then just reveal whatever it ends up being!)
- Maternity
- Newborn
- Six months old
- One-year old
*Most photographers offer a discounted rate if you want to book several sessions with them, so if you are considering multiple shoots for kids, be sure to ask about milestone packages.*
Generally speaking, on a non-baby year, I love to do an annual session in the fall that can be used for our family Christmas cards. But, I’d be lying if I didn’t like the idea of doing an annual spring family shoot as well.
HOW DO YOU GET YOUR FAMILY ON BOARD FOR PHOTOS?
My crew is trained by now that it’s the expectation, just kidding…well kinda 🙂 But really, my husband knows how much I cherish the photos. He is a good guy and just knows that it means a lot to me. He also has done enough shoots to know what makes the good shots happen and he’s good at wrangling the kids. My kids, I generally try to make it fun and interact with them. I also give them little treats like mini M&M’s or marshmallows if they behave. Whatever works!
IS IT WORTH THE MONEY?
200% yes. It’s an investment in preserving the memories of each phase of life. We love to look back at the photos and reminisce. Also, I always print large photos to update my big gallery wall in my home and a few other frames. You can consider this an investment in your home decor 🙂 I almost always use the photos to make our family Christmas gifts each year! That might look like framed photo gifts, a photo calendar, or other custom photo items. Let’s be honest, grandparents don’t need monetary items. They love photos and thoughtful gifts.
Brooke Grogan Photography captured this darling little six month old/family life-style session for us. We shot at The Ginger Birdie in Winston-Salem, which is the perfect, blank slate, indoor space for a shoot.
xx,
Mallory
