Don't Wait for the Perfect Time to Schedule Family Photos

I'll let you in on a little secret.

A few weeks ago, I almost postponed my own headshot session.

Not because I didn't trust my photographer. I absolutely did.

Not because I wasn't excited. I was.

I almost postponed because I wasn't at the weight I wanted to be.

The funny thing is…this wasn't the first time I'd considered postponing.

Life had already gotten in the way more than once. Family schedules changed. My own schedule changed. There always seemed to be a reason to wait just a little longer.

Maybe after I lost a few more pounds.

Maybe after life settled down.

Maybe when everything felt "just right."

But eventually I realized something.

If I kept waiting for the perfect time, I might never do it.

So I showed up anyway.

And I'm so glad I did.

Like many of my clients, I felt awkward at first.

Which is funny, because I spend my days helping other people feel comfortable in front of the camera.

I know how to pose.

I know what looks flattering.

I know how photographers think.

And yet, standing on the other side of the camera reminded me exactly how vulnerable it can feel.

That experience made me an even better photographer.

It reminded me that my clients aren't worried about camera settings or posing.

They're wondering if they'll like what they see.

They're wondering if they should have waited.

They're hoping someone will guide them.

When I saw the finished images, something surprised me.

I loved them.

Not because I suddenly looked twenty pounds lighter.

Not because every insecurity disappeared.

I loved them because they felt like me.

Confident.

Happy.

Professional.

Someone celebrating an important season of life.

Those photographs captured something much more important than a number on the scale.

They captured a chapter of my life that I'll never get back.

That experience also reminded me of something I tell my own clients all the time.

Please don't wait.

Don't wait until you've lost the weight.

Don't wait until life slows down.

Don't wait until your kids are older.

Don't wait until everything feels perfect.

Life keeps moving whether we're ready or not.

The moments worth remembering rarely happen at the "perfect" time.

This experience also reminded me that I need to practice what I ask my clients to do.

I encourage families to print their photographs.

So I printed artwork of my own dog.

I encourage people not to wait.

So I stepped in front of the camera before I felt completely ready.

I encourage people to trust the process.

So I trusted another photographer with mine.

I believe that's important.

Because I never want to ask my clients to do something I'm unwilling to do myself.

If you've been thinking about updating your family photographs, celebrating your senior, or finally scheduling the portraits you've been putting off...

Take this as your gentle reminder.

There may never be a perfect time.

But there is today.

And years from now, I don't think you'll wish you had waited.

I think you'll be grateful you didn't.

Years from now, I hope the first thing you notice in your photographs isn't what you wish you had changed about yourself—I hope it's the people you were so grateful to remember.

Once you've decided not to wait, the next question becomes what happens after your session. If you've ever wondered why I'm so passionate about printed artwork, you may enjoy reading Digital Photos vs. Printed Artwork: What Actually Lasts.