By Katelyn Samuels, Freshly Brewed Mama

Note from Molly:

OH MY GOSH I’M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS POST! Katelyn is one of my best friends! We met through Sigma Kappa during our college years and have stayed close ever since!

Katelyn is an amazing resource for working mamas out there! She’s a former special education teacher turned corporate climber, and sentimental mama bear to two little ones. She is a believer that you can lean into your profession and lean into motherhood at the same time without compromising. She is a believer of strong coffee, deep breaths, and finding joy daily. She hopes you find these words give you a few more precious minutes back in your day or speak to your mama heart in the way you need.

I’m SO EXCITED TO SHARE HER WITH YOU! Continue scrolling to read what she has to say!

From Freshly Brewed Mama

Why You Need To Have Professional Photos Taken (Over and Over Again)

Freshly Brewed Mama

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE professional photos. I know mobile phone images are exceptional quality these days, but there is something so classic and sentimental about high quality professional photos and I cannot get enough! I have handmade photo albums galore from every season of my life that my kids happily flip through, large canvas prints of tiny baby smiles, and a gallery wall of my growing family. Not only did we have an amazing time together during each of those photo sessions, but my home is always filled with joy of the beautiful memories around me. Whatever milestones are happening in your life, professional photos of those precious moments are essential and something that we all need to carve out time for in our busy schedules. If you are still thinking about setting up a photo session or time has gotten away from you, check out the top 5 reasons to book your next professional photo session and get to it!

1. They say time goes by fast, but it really does

When I had my first child, all I heard was “enjoy every moment because they grow up quickly.” And while the days may seem slow during the sleepless newborn fog, the years are so very short. Every single month those babes are hitting a new milestone, and it is so fun to capture and look back as they grow. My little ones are still toddlers, but we have family photos with them every year since they were in my belly. Watching them grow before our eyes is too precious to miss! If you find a photographer you love like we did, they will get to experience that growth with you and each session gets better and better as they get to know your family. Seeing their personalities blossom over the years never gets old!

2. You never know when those photos will be the last of their kind

Professional photography opportunities with your loved ones or during that time of your life are never guaranteed. I have spoken with so many friends who wished they had taken professional photos of their pregnancy, with their grandmother, or in a special place they were living at the time. Life happens and things can change unexpectedly, so having those memories forever in high quality images is something you will never regret. Take professional photos often, or anytime there is a big life event you want to remember. It’s also a great time for photos when you have family in town, or a loved one that has traveled far to visit. Grab your dog and your grandma, and capture those moments before they are gone.

3. Professional photos will outlive the pictures on your phone

While you may scroll through your own mobile photo albums, those photos will most likely not be seen by your grandchildren or your great-grandchildren. I still remember as a kiddo looking through old albums of my grandparents wedding, or pictures from my grandpa’s time in the war. The professional photos you take are the ones that last a lifetime and carry on the sweet memories of your family for future generations. Those are the ones that your future grandbabies will bring with them to show and tell, and the ones where they will make fun of your old clothes.

4. Professional photos are the ones that make it up on your wall

Let’s talk décor! There is nothing more inviting in a home than printed pictures of your loved ones hanging on your walls. We have prints from every single one of our sessions scattered in different parts of our home and I never get tired of looking for new ways to display my favorites. As a busy working mom, there is nothing more comforting than coming home to a space filled with times that make me smile with photos handpicked by my family. Prints are great for your home and for your office desk too.

5. Professional photos will be the best photos that include you and give you real and authentic pictures of your life

Look at the most recent pictures you have taken yourself and you will notice a few things. Like me, you may not be in many of them if you are the one snapping pictures. Or all your pictures are blurry shots of your busy child pausing to say “Cheese.” While these are nice to have, they do not take the place of genuine moments between you and your loved ones in photos that are natural and include you! Some of my favorite photos from our professional photo sessions are the outtakes. The ones where my daughter was not cooperating and laid on the ground in the rain. The ones where we are all laughing so hard that all our eyes are closed. The ones where our hair is a mess and our clothes are no longer crisp because we are having so much fun. The candid moments and the boo-boos. Your photographer is a professional for a reason, and there is an art to the work that they do. Leave the work up to them and enjoy your session. You will be so in love with the results!

If you can’t remember the last time you had professional photos taken, or you feel like your kids have grown lifetimes since the last session, get out your calendar and get a session scheduled ASAP! You will be so glad you did.

Want to hear more from Katelyn, she’s on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest! And just in cased you missed it, you can visit her website here!

XOXO,

See more from the blog here!