Are Family Photos Worth It?

I know it’s easy to look at the cost of family photos and think, maybe next year. Especially right now, when everything is expensive, the kids need a million things, schedules are full, and most of us have a phone that takes pretty decent pictures. I completely understand why families are thinking a little harder about what they spend money on. The problem is that “maybe next year” can turn into three or four years pretty quickly, and when you finally get around to taking that family picture, everyone looks a whole lot different than they did when you first started thinking about it.

In the meantime, your phone is probably full of your kids. Mine is too. We have the birthday pictures, vacations, sports, holidays, random selfies and all the everyday stuff mixed in between. I love those pictures and will never tell you to stop taking them because they’re such a fun record of real life. But when you scroll back through your camera roll, you might notice that there aren’t nearly as many pictures with everyone in them. Usually someone is behind the camera, and a lot of the time it’s the same person over and over again.

That’s one of the reasons professional family photos feel different. When you book a session with me, nobody has to balance a phone against a water bottle and set a timer. Mom doesn’t have to hand the camera to someone else and hope for the best, and you aren’t trying to get everyone to look at the same time while also wondering if the light is terrible or somebody’s eyes are closed. You get to show up with your family, be in the pictures with them and let me take care of everything happening on the other side of the camera. There’s actually quite a bit happening over there, even if you don’t notice most of it during your session. I’m watching the light and making little adjustments when I need to. I’m paying attention to whether someone feels uncomfortable, whether your child needs a break or whether we’ve been in one spot for long enough and it’s time to change things up. Some kids walk into a session ready to be my best friend, while others need a little more time before they want anything to do with me or my camera. I’ve learned over the years that trying to make every child respond the same way usually doesn’t work, so I’d much rather meet them where they are and figure out what works for them.

Years of photographing families has also taught me that the picture parents think they want at the beginning of a session isn’t always the one they end up loving the most. Of course we’ll get the one where everyone is looking at me, because I know you want that photo, too. But then your little one laughs at something Dad says, a sibling scoots in closer without being asked, or your teenager finally gives me their real smile instead of the smile they’ve been giving the camera for the last ten minutes. Those little moments happen quickly, and part of my job is knowing when to stop directing and just pay attention.

I think that’s also why these pictures start to mean something different as your kids get older. On the day of your session, you might be thinking about whether everyone’s outfits look good together or hoping your child cooperates. A few years later, you’re looking at that same photograph and noticing how little their hand looked in yours or how young their face was. There are so many details we’re sure we’ll remember forever, but time has a way of making some of them fuzzy. You forget exactly what their smile looked like when they were missing those front teeth, how your oldest used to lean into you, or just how small they really were standing next to you.

And I don’t think that only applies to families with little kids. Sometimes we’re really good about taking pictures when our children are babies and toddlers, and then we slowly stop doing it as they get older. But teenagers change so much, too. Before you know it, you’re dealing with senior year, college plans, jobs and schedules that make getting everyone in the same place harder than it used to be. There is so much worth remembering in those years, even if your teenager is a little less excited about family pictures than they were when they were six. This is also why I don’t think you need to wait for a big milestone or a particularly exciting year to book family photos. There is plenty worth documenting in a completely normal season of family life. Maybe nothing huge happened this year, but your kids grew, their relationships changed, their personalities came out a little more, and your family kept becoming a slightly different version of itself. When you’re living in the middle of it, those changes can be hard to see. Looking back makes them much more obvious.

If you’re wondering whether professional photos really look that different from something taken with a good phone or a point-and-shoot camera, I think it’s important to remember that the camera is only one part of what you’re paying for. Knowing how to find and use beautiful light, where to place people, how to help someone feel comfortable in front of the camera and what to do when a child would rather be doing literally anything else comes from experience. There’s also all the work that happens after your session to turn those images into a finished gallery that feels consistent and looks like your family.

So yes, keep taking a ridiculous number of pictures on your phone. Take the ordinary ones, the silly ones and the ones where nobody is dressed nicely and there’s laundry sitting in the background. You’ll be glad you have those, too. But every once in a while, it’s worth handing the camera to someone else so you can be part of the pictures instead of always being the one taking them. Let me worry about the light, the camera and getting everyone comfortable while you spend some time with your family.

Years from now, when your kids are older, your house is quieter and getting everyone together takes a little more planning than it does today, those pictures are going to give you a really good look back at what life used to feel like. And I have a feeling you’ll be pretty glad you decided not to wait until next year.