I've recently read a photographer's blog post that connected with me...
"And, over the years as a photographer, with each client session that I photographed, I began to cringe whenever the parents quietly begged their children to behave, and bribes were on hand to help hide away the tears. When the sun finally set, and I said “finished,” it was common that the parents would allow their shoulders to finally relax; the children would kick off their shoes; and that’s when the authentic beauty would shine the brightest. But by then the daylight had already faded, and my camera was put away....
As an artist, it tortured me."
Oh my... isn't that true?
We want beautiful photos of our family so we make everyone 'dress up'. We pick and prune our kids, our husbands and turn them into something so very far from what our families really are.
I can't tell you how many times I have heard...
'Look at the camera....*insert child's name here*...Smile! Hey Look at the camera, big smiles! We can stop at the store on the way home for treats if you just sit still and smile at the camera!
Husbands mumbling under their breath "when is this going to be over ?"
Mom's sighs of frustration because her kids are not acting like 'little angels' and not listening to what she's says...worrying to herself what the photographer must think...
Do you know why it can be so stressful?
Simple. You are trying to be something your not.
p.s. I'm totally guilty of this too.
My family, for example, rarely gets dressed up.
I do not own a pair of heels and my husband does not own a tie. It's just not us. So why for the love of goodness am I trying to dress up the kids and my husband? Why am I hobbling across a field in a(borrowed) set of heels trying so very hard NOTto break my ankle just to get family photos done?
It's not fun. Nobody is comfortable. Everyone is gruuuu-mpy.
It's just not us.
We spend summers in bare feet.
