If You're Looking for Perfection, You May Not Want to Hire Me.
Hear me out...
If you're dreaming of a perfectly posed family where every child smiles on command, everyone stands still, and not a single hair is out of place... I may not be the photographer for you.
Because that's not real life.
When your little one wants to twirl instead of sit...
When they stop to pick flowers...
When they splash in puddles or cling to your leg because they're shy...
I don't see those moments as interruptions.
I see them as childhood.
The first few minutes of almost every session are the hardest. Kids are meeting a stranger with a giant camera. Of course they're shy! I don't expect them to perform the moment I arrive.
Instead, we play.
We explore.
We laugh.
We tell silly jokes, race to the next tree, swing hands with Mom and Dad, chase bubbles, and let kids be exactly what they are... kids!
Sure, we'll absolutely get that smiling-at-the-camera photo for Grandma.
But the moments I treasure most are the ones in between.
The laughter.
The snuggles.
The tiny hands reaching for yours.
The look your spouse gives you when no one else is watching.
Those are the moments that tell your family's story.
God Has Never Asked Us to Be Perfect
One of my favorite verses is 2 Corinthians 12:9:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
What a relief.
Our homes aren't perfect.
Our children aren't perfect.
Our marriages aren't perfect.
And neither are we.
Yet somehow, God delights in using imperfect people to display His perfect love.
Sometimes I think family sessions are a little like that.
A toddler has a meltdown.
Someone gets grass stains.
Dad is convinced the kids are "ruining the pictures."
And then, right in the middle of what feels like chaos, everyone bursts into laughter.
Those often become the photographs you'll treasure most.
Not because everything went according to plan...
But because they tell the truth.
Here's Where I Am a Perfectionist...
Editing.
This is where my perfectionism shines.
I'll adjust colors until they're just right. Remove distractions. Fine-tune every image until it reflects the vision I had when I pressed the shutter.
Sometimes I edit until I'm blue in the face, no kidding!
Not because I have to, but because I care deeply about giving you beautiful artwork that you are excited to display in your home.
But I also want my images to tell a story.
So if your session feels a little chaotic...
If your toddler refuses to wear shoes...
If someone gets dirty...
If someone cries for five minutes...
If everyone ends up laughing because nothing is going according to plan...
Take a deep breath.
Those are often the sessions that become my favorites.
But I don't expect you to be perfect.
Because perfection was never the goal.
Connection is.
Love is.
Presence is.
As believers, we're reminded that our worth isn't found in having a picture-perfect life. It's found in Christ. My prayer is that years from now, when your children look through these photographs, they won't remember whether every hair was in place.
They'll remember how loved they were.
How safe they felt in your arms.
How Mom laughed.
How Dad played.
How faithful God was in that ordinary season of life.
Because one day, these "ordinary" days will be the ones you'll miss the most.
The truth is, I don't serve a picture-perfect family. I serve a perfect Savior.
The only perfect Person who ever walked this earth willingly laid down His life for imperfect people like me. Because of His grace, I don't have to chase perfection—I can rest in Him.
So no, I won't ask your children to be perfect. I won't expect your family to fit into an unrealistic mold. I'll encourage you to laugh, to play, to embrace the beautiful, messy moments that make your family uniquely yours.
I'll save my perfectionism for editing your gallery.
Because your family doesn't need to be perfect to be worthy of remembering.
It simply needs to be loved.
And what a gift it is that the God who created your family loves you far more perfectly than any photograph could ever capture.
