I'll Schedule a portrait session When...
How many times have you caught yourself saying this? I'll schedule a portrait session when....
1) I've lost more weight
2) We have more time
3) The kids are a little older/easier to work with and stop changing so fast.
Et Cetera...et cetera...et cetera...
And, how many of you regret not having professional portraits when your children were younger hanging on your walls to see and enjoy every single day? Do you realize the self-esteem a wall portrait of JUST THEM gives your children?
Now, let me ask you this...
When is the last time someone looked at your parent’s family portrait when you were young and said...
"I really wish Mom would have lost more weight before we had our family photos done."
or....
When viewing a photo of your Grandmother or Mother who has passed away....
"I really wish she would have had her photo taken BEFORE she got all those wrinkles?"
The reason I bring these issues up is that NO ONE CARES if you're a little heavy, that the kids don’t look like that anymore, or have a few more wrinkles than you'd like, etc.
Life is TOO SHORT to "wait for that perfect time"...because in all reality, what we think is the perfect time will NEVER come.
Anyone who really knows me knows that this topic is something I am extremely passionate about. It has nothing to do with guilting you in to booking a session with me. I don't care if you book a session with me or with someone else... just do it!
The older I get, the more I realize that I want to leave tangible memories for my kids... my grandkids... their kids. I want there to be images they can hold and look at that will show them Shirley and I were HERE... we were REAL... not just someone that "people talk about" and say "you look JUST LIKE your great-grandmother" and not some images that got deleted or became unreadable on a ten year old disk or one that can’t be read on a computer anymore. I want my great grandkids to SEE and KNOW how we looked... not just hear about it.
What do you plan to leave for your children and future generations? Words and memories through thoughts... or tangible proof that you existed... you were a person... you helped create who they are.
And, while they're looking at those images... do you think they'll pick apart why you should have "waited" to have those portraits taken... or do you think they'll just be really thankful that you did?
I’m presently scanning some old photos and portraits of Shirley’s ancestors. It’s simply amazing how those prints have stood the test of time. They have and will continue to far outlive all the floppies, CDs, DVDs, USB drives, and photos on our cellphones.
I'm not trying to scare anyone, but you have to admit to yourself that there are NO guarantees in life. A few months ago I thought I’d be able to play tennis into my 80s. Now stuff is happening I don’t know if I’ll be able to play next year. Time passes. Life passes. Take advantage of the opportunities NOW and stop waiting for perfect...
Perfect is now.