I once had a mother of a bride tell me she wouldn’t be in photos.
More on that later.
This post follows in the footsteps of our “Boudoir is for everyone” post — but this time we’re talking about all shoots. Engagement, family, cosplay — everyone is beautiful, no matter their size. I am a strong believer in this.
It’s always a little heartbreaking to me when parents will set up photoshoots of just their children — and won’t ever hop in the shot. One day, your children are going to want photos of you. I promise. They won’t care if your hair wasn’t done just right, or if you still haven’t lost those 10 pounds you’ve been chasin’ for years.
You. Are. Beautiful. NOW.
It’s not the future “you” that’s beautiful. It’s the one that’s here now.
At a wedding I shot a few years ago, the bride instructed me to “sneak” photos of her mother, because she refused to be in any of them except for the very few mandatory family shots.
Let me re-write that. A bride had to ask me to be “sneaky” to get shots of her mom! Don’t do that to your children, mamas. Be in photos with them!
This is advice I also took myself, as someone who is always behind the camera. I needed to be in front of it, too.
It’s important for me to practice what I preach, so over the years, I have asked my photographer friends to snap photos of me and my family —
No, I wasn’t having the prefect hair day (for any of ’em).
Yes, I’d like to lose weight (I’ve gained around 60 pounds since having my first child, and even more since my second).
No, I’m not ashamed of it. But I was for a really long time. Too long, if you ask me. I had to completely change my mindset.
You don’t have to be at your high school weight to be beautiful. You’ve lived. You’ve loved. You’ve eaten some awesome food. It was all worth it, yeah?
Then, stop hiding from the camera! Embrace who you are right now, not someone you see yourself being in the future.
If you have children — by the time you’re “satisfied” with yourself, they very well may be grown up and out of the house.
These are images my family can treasure. My girls can go back and look through these and see pictures of their parents. If you can’t bring yourself to do it — for yourself — then at least do it for them. Your family. Your friends. Your grandchildren. Your own children. <3
You’re perfectly imperfect. Book a photoshoot, even if it’s not with us. <3
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