Andrew is a super tall dude

He towers over everyone in his family. He's into baseball, shoes, and is super talented at sports videography. He came into my studio for his senior portrait session - his mom, Amy (and one of my very best friends), and his sister, Lauren, joined us for an afternoon of laughs, connection, and photographing. A couple of weeks later, I invited them back to view their images and oh my goodness. Bring on the waterworks.

What surprised me is rediscovering how important reactions are to my soul. Of course I need to except payment for what I do to run a sustainable business, but that's not my true payback and why I am a portrait photographer to begin with. I would shoot for free otherwise. The thing that brings me joy is watching you experience seeing yourself in a new way. The way I see you. The way the world sees you. And you are beautiful.

The old me was 'shoot and burn.' Meaning I'd shoot a session, edit, and upload to an online gallery for clients to DIY the rest. Fine and dandy -- except for the stress that put on my clients to figure out what they wanted to print, where they wanted to enjoy what we created together, and actually print. And zero emotional payback for me to watch your happy tears. All the work that goes into a legacy portrait shoot felt like it was for nothing. Because what I found was that by not dedicating the time to my clients to guide them and throw them to the wolves, they had analysis paralysis and would never make a decision. Most likely downloaded and maybe shared online, but never printed and surely to be forgotten on a junkie hard drive forever. What a waste.

So now, my process looks much different. I'm no longer the Old Navy of photographers. I'm the Ferrari. Full service and at your beck and call.

Our children grow up so fast. Our time with them is fleeting. By taking the time and effort to pause and be photographed, we're creating a time capsule. You will NEVER regret having photographs taken and printed. You in 20 years will regret NOT doing it.