Last summer, we decided to celebrate my mom's 70th birthday by gifting her with a family photo session. It had been quite some time since we last had one done, except for a surprise session we arranged for my parents several years ago for Christmas, which only included the "kids," our significant others, and my niece. This time, we wanted to include our parents as well. Because I live out of town, we planned the session during a family wedding visit. Since I couldn't be the photographer, we enlisted the talented skills of my amazing sister-in-law, Jen, from Jen Lima Photography 

We took our time choosing the location (my brother's house, which used to be our grandparents'), considering the time of day, and coordinating our outfit color scheme. As someone who often assists clients with the planning stage, it wasn't too challenging for me. However, during the session, I found myself feeling uncomfortable, struggling with posing, uncertain about where to place my arms (which is evident to me in some of the photos), and unsure how to stand. This experience was helpful because it made me realize the importance of guiding and directing my clients during their own sessions, especially if they seem unsure.
 

Jen delivered an awesome digital gallery. :) It was a fun day documenting one of our visits with family from NC to New England.

However, I then committed the very mistake I always advise my clients against: I left those beautiful images sitting on my laptop for months. I now understand how easy it is to keep intending to order prints but never actually doing it. This became my most significant lesson from the experience. Finally, I had the motivation to order prints for myself and my parents. I look forward to displaying these images in my home. So, my advice is, don't let those precious photos linger on your computer; get them off and proudly showcase them in your home. Moving forward, I will continue to guide my clients on what to do with their images once the gallery is delivered. I never want to bother them or make it seem like I'm only interested in orders. I genuinely want to assist! The photography package includes digital images, giving clients the freedom to choose any printing service or order products like canvases or framed prints from various sources.

I am grateful that we took time as a family to capture some memories and hope we can do another one soon! If you need updated family photos, reach out to me! I'd love to get you in front of my lens this year!