I spent months looking for just the right shoes for Bub to wear, hours debating what color sweater Steve should have on, and my free time deciding which jeans looked best on me. I planned the heck out of our family photo session because I envisioned glorious fall foliage in Vermont and our happy family glowing in the warm autumn sun.
When the session finally arrived, Bub refused to wear the shoes I chose for him. He refused to get his photo taken - literally walking away when our photographer, Amelia, tried to take our photo and screaming when we tried to pick him up. His pants were too baggy, my top was too loose, and I didn't like the way my hair looked. On top of my tantrum-throwing toddler and all the little things bothering me, the leaves had fallen off the trees by the day of our session and it was a very chilly, cloudy day. I lamented getting the coldest day of the week for our photos. I saw my dreams for the session fade away.
So much planning, so much excitement - all to have it dashed by the weather and my uncooperative toddler. Two things very much out of my control. When the photographer left, I stood in the bathroom and cried. Did we even get a single good photo? I give e v e r y t h i n g to my child and he couldn’t bring himself to listen to me for an hour.
Why do family photos matter this much to me? Because Bub reminds me everyday that life is moving too quickly. In a flash, he’ll be fifteen. Hell, I’m not looking any younger these days either. These photos encapsulate the magic of now, the beauty of this page in our lives. Snapshots in time that will live on forever.
The lesson for this session is to take a deep breath and go with the flow. So much easier said than done when I feel like ripping my hair out and bursting into tears from the pressure of picture-perfect moments. But looking at the photos Amelia captured, she somehow captured a happy family glowing in the warm autumn sun. In hindsight, I wish I had just trusted that everything would turn out beautifully.
