Guest post by Rachel Friedman of Rachel Friedman Photography, based in Plano, Texas.
Hi everyone - I'm Rachel with Rachel Friedman Photography. If there's any photographer that embodies love in her work, it's Camille. You can just feel it in her images. We were talking recently, photographer to photographer, about our work and why we are so passionate about what we do. And she asked me if I could share more about why I think capturing portraits of your littles and your family is so important.
So I want you to take a moment first and think back to when you first found out you were expecting a baby. That excitement, the anticipation, the imagining what he would look like, what she would become. And then after nine long months, you finally got to glimpse the sweet face you had been dreaming about. And then with what seemed like each blink, your baby grew. And grew. And grew some more. And despite all of your sweet requests for them to just STOP GROWING, they don't. One day, they're taking their first steps and the next, they've toddled off all of their sweet baby chub and marched into preschool. Next thing you know, they're playing first soccer games, sounding out first words, going to their first sleepover, and experiencing their first crush on someone who's not their mama.
It seriously happens in a blink. We are blessed with these tiny humans to raise, and in the midst of raising them, we create traditions, make memories, weave together the fabric of their lives.
So why do photos matter?
First, because in the blur of all of our adventures in parenting, it’s so important to stop and capture these ages and phases and the love that surrounds them. It all goes by way too fast, and in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s important to pause and soak up this goodness before you wake up one day with an empty nest and nothing but a foggy memory of these sleepless early years.
But more important, we capture these moments because there are no guarantees in life. We so often take our health and the health of our children for granted, but we all know people in our networks, near and far, who suffer unimaginable tragedies, illnesses and losses. Whether it's a family of five losing their mother to aggressive cancer, a preschool facing a frightening medical diagnosis or a father and daughter tragically killed in an accident, we all hear stories like these - on the news, in our Facebook feeds, amongst friends. We need to enjoy these moments and capture them while we have them, and also so that heaven forbid we are the ones facing the unimaginable, our photographs will become part of our family legacy that outlives.
A famous athlete once said, “You’ll miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” And while I’m sure he wasn’t referring to shots taken in photo shoots, it still rings true. You can’t bring these days back once they’ve past. You can’t go back in time to capture those newborn photos. You might not want to return to the day-to-day life of diapers and naps once your kids are older, but you’ll surely want gorgeous photos to remember those toddler years (especially once they turn into moody teenagers, I have heard).
We capture these moments because there is no pause button in life. We can’t turn back time. These moments are ones that we will treasure, and then decades from now, our little ones will be sharing them with kids of their own.
Thank you so much for letting me share a bit of my heart with you. If you are interested in capturing the love you share as a family and freezing this moment in time, be sure to be in touch with Camille to schedule a session. You won't regret it.
xoxo,
Rachel
The gorgeous family images illustrating this blog were created during a baby photo session in my New York City portrait photography studio. The studio is located on Broadway, in the Upper West Side of Manhattan and packed with all you need for your newborn. Contact me here to book your session.
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