10 Reasons to Document Your Growing Family

As Recommended by a Philadelphia Family Photographer

1. To Capture the Growth of Your Family

Children grow up quickly. It seems like in a blink of an eye they grow from squishy newborns to running around at full speed. Before you know it, your children will be starting their own families someday. In a few years, you’re going to want to look back to when your children were younger and reminisce about how little they used to be. By photographing your family, both you and your children can look back in time to the eldest child to reflect on a time when they may have been the only child. They’ll relive how the family has grown, even if they were a bit too young to remember it. 

2. Proof of Mom!

I bet if you look back at your family archive, you’ll find more photos of you with other people rather than with your mom – since she was usually the one behind the camera. There are all these sweet moments with me and my dad, my dog, and my grandparents, and really, only a handful of photos of my mother and I exist. Having a photographer to capture your whole family together will allow everyone to be in the photos, leaving your child with wonderful photographs to look at for years to come! 

3. Relieving the Stress

Don’t stress – hire a pro! Hiring a professional family photographer to capture your growing family can help take the stress off of your back. We can help you decide on the best location for your photos and even make suggestions on what to wear. My approach to sessions is what I consider “child-led,” so we’ll never push them to do anything they don’t feel comfortable with. We can always switch things up and come back around to an idea that they might not have been up for earlier in the session. Even if during the photo shoot, the children are running around and it feels chaotic and unproductive, I promise you it’s going better than it feels (my unofficial motto). So try not to worry too much! The experience of your session is just as important as the final product to me, so if you have any concerns before your session please let me know and we can troubleshoot together. 

4. #PrintYourPhotos

All of the most amazing moments in life are made even more memorable through the power of a printed photograph, a memory frozen in time. Of course, you’re going to have a ton of smartphone memories throughout the years, but it should never require electricity to see a photo of someone you love. Why not capture some beautiful family moments to have to pass down through generations? It’s a beautiful way to show how times have changed, whether it be through fashion or even how the family itself has grown throughout the years. 

5. Starting a Tradition

As a family photographer, I have seen some children grow before my eyes. In my experience, it’s easier to photograph kids that I’ve met before, for them it’s not something new and scary – it’s something familiar and fun! When your family photographer becomes your friend / family photographer your children can create a natural connection, making their time in front of the camera more enjoyable and true to life. Not to mention, it’s great to have a yearly tradition! It will give them something to look forward to each year, or however often you see fit. I’ve also noticed that many children love seeing how the photos turned out, which can lead to another tradition of sitting down and viewing the photos together as a family!

6. Photos Become Easier!

Once you find a family photographer that you love and connect with, family sessions become a breeze! As time goes on, your family will start to feel more at ease and comfortable with having their photos taken- your kids may even start looking forward to each session and asking when the next one can be! Updating your family portraits also becomes easier when you already have a go-to family photographer! You will start to get into the mental routine of knowing when it is time to update your family photos. I like to check in with repeat clients once a year to make sure you have the opportunity to get on my calendar before it fills up. Having a photographer for life has many benefits, but my favorite is making your life easier. 

7. Reliving Memories

Reminiscing while looking at your memories allows you the opportunity to look back at a certain point in your life and remember what it was all like. Years from now, you’ll be able to remember that new baby smell, their specific cry when they were hungry, or even how tired you felt despite being the happiest mess you’ve ever been. I value capturing your ever-changing family; from your sleepy newborn to your silly toddler, to your inquisitive kid. As families continue to grow, and dynamics change, your family photographer is there along the way with you to document all the phases of your life. We also love to include pets, as they are a part of the family as well. We only get so much time with them. If you’re looking for inspiration to include your pets in your family photos, check out this blog! 

8. Sharing Photos with Family & Friends

Sometimes life gets busy and you don’t get to see extended family or friends as often as you would like. Especially if they live outside of Philadelphia. I find that sharing family photos, either through social media or a simple text message, helps keep in contact and up-to-date with everyone. Who doesn’t love a cute photo popping up in the family group chat?  

9. Creating a Family Archive

Fun Fact: A lot of my family clients started as wedding clients! Although I don’t photograph weddings anymore, I know how valuable it can be to have a photographer who has essentially been with your family from the start. There’s never going to be a time when a family archive doesn’t matter. As the digital age progresses, it’ll be harder and harder for future generations to access their most important moments. Creating heirloom albums and framed prints ensures a continuation of family history and documentation.  Check out this TikTok or Reel to see one of my favorite reactions from a kid getting to look through her family album for the first time!

10. Surround Yourself with Reminders of Love

Whether you’re interested in prints for grandparents or in starting a gallery wall in your own home- family portraits make for great home decor! Children love seeing photos of them up around the house- it builds up their confidence, reminds them of fun family memories, and reminds them of how much they’re loved. It’s important to surround them with not only photos of themselves but of other family members as well. Creating a gallery wall filled with a collection of family photos or even just having framed prints or wall art placed throughout the house makes the home cozier and reinstates the love within the family. 

If you’re ready to chat about or schedule your family session today, please fill out my contact form here. I look forward to working with you!

To read more about what my lifestyle family sessions are like, check out my Philly blog stories!