Let’s talk about family photos. Some people are totally on top of the photos thing and have a professional photographer lined up to take photos of every single life event – engagement, marriage, pregnancy, birth, and a billion other ‘growing up’ photos of their kiddos. Other people go years without having their entire family in one photo – instead there are photos of one parent and the kiddo, and then the other parent and the kiddo… maybe a super close-up selfie with everyone in it.
Can you guess which one I am?
Sigh. Yeah. Our last professional family photo session was when Jack was around 2-ish. Other than that, we have some pictures over the years from my sibling’s weddings, or maybe from a random cruise photographer. So, when my friend Lindsey said she had recently gotten a new camera lens and wanted to try it out, I jumped at the chance to be her guinea pig!
We had plans to meet up at Black Ankle Vineyards, a winery that is less than 30 minutes from our house. I kept it super easy and didn’t go crazy with ‘styling’ everyone – instead we all just wore our normal clothes, just a teensy bit nicer. So instead of a comfy sweater, I threw on my moto jacket. And instead of Jack wearing a hoodie, he wore a bright plaid button-up shirt over his t-shirt.
We also kept the ‘photo shoot’ low key. I brought a blanket and we shot a few different poses.
And that’s it.
Afterwards, we walked over to the winery (I had reserved an area on the terrace) and enjoyed wine flights and food while outside and socially distanced. It was super low-key and fun and I crossed my fingers that maybe I’d get a photo or two of the three of us out of it.
Lindsey sent the photos over a few days later and I’m so happy that we took the time to do it. Sure, my first instinct is to pick apart my appearance. My hair looks weird here. I look fluffy there. Ugh, why am I making that face? All the typical BS we tell ourselves.
But when it comes down to it, I know that in a few years I will love looking back at this moment in time. I’m grateful to have these photos of a fun family day out at a local vineyard with my best friend shooting the pictures. I’m happy to have a picture with ALL THREE of us in it that’s not a selfie. And frankly, I’m not sure how many more years I have before Jack catches up to me in height!
Here are some of my favorite photos from the day:
So, if you’ve been putting off taking pictures because a professional photographer is too expensive, or you’re not at your goal weight, or your kid still has his silly quarantine haircut… JUST DO IT. Have a friend grab their camera (or their extra fancy smartphone), put on an outfit that makes you feel good and get in the picture.