A Letter to All the Beautiful Mothers

I absolutely LOVE photographing people!  I love watching the way they interact with one another.  I love watching them be genuine with one another.  I love it when I can SEE how they FEEL about one another!  However, there is one thing that I do not like and that is when I hear beautiful mothers talking about how they don't like certain parts of their bodies.  You are BEAUTIFUL!

Women, sometimes men, but mainly women, put so much time and effort into planning their photo session.  They have to go shopping for the perfect outfits, bribing kiddos to cooperate (and husbands too), making sure everyone stays in a great mood, choosing a location that fits with what you have in mind for your wall art, etc.  I notice, believe me...I NOTICE.  I love that you put so much time and effort into your session before it even began!  I want nothing more than you to absolutely LOVE and CHERISH your photographs because they will last a lifetime and the generations to come will LOVE and CHERISH them as well.  

“Photography is the memory of our lives.”

— unknown

But...

...so many BEAUTIFUL mothers ask me to...

• "Can you make me look skinnier?"
• "Please hide me somewhere behind my kids."
• "I just want photographs of my kids.  I need to lose 10 pounds before I am in them."
• "Can I see what the photo looks like on your camera?  I hate the way I look."
• "Photoshop me as much as possible!"

...the list goes on and on.  And it makes me sad.  This makes me sad because you can't even recognize your own beauty.  I'm not talking about being the perfect size, with perfect makeup and hair, and gorgeous clothing.  I'm talking about YOU!  I'm talking about the way you LOVE your family.  I'm talking about the way your family LOVES you.  The way your family looks at you is breathtaking!  

Life is not perfect.  It isn't meant to be.  Life is messy, yet beautiful.  Life is meant to be enjoyed.  Life is meant to be lived in moments.  Moments are meant to be photographed and documented.  

I can promise you this, I was THAT mom.  I have TONS of photographs of my kids, but where am I in these photographs??  I was hiding.  Every single time the camera came out, I ran.  I needed to lose weight.  My hair wasn't fixed.  My outfit wasn't picture worthy.  But my kids...they were adorable!  And all I think when I look at those photographs is how I miss holding them in my arms, getting slobbery kisses, giggling with them as we played, and snuggling.  I can never get that time back.  I hold onto these memories, but at some point they will be lost in my mind.  Lost for no one else to SEE.  My own kids won't even SEE us interacting with one another. 

But I'm certain that IF I did allow myself to be photographed with my children, they wouldn't look at them and laugh at my hair or outfit.  I'd like to think they would cherish those photographs because they are documenting a moment in time between us...our beautiful family.

So to all the BEAUTIFUL mothers out there...BE PHOTOGRAPHED!!  As difficult as it may be, do it for your children and your grandchildren.  You won't be sorry...I promise.  

I stepped out of my comfort zone and was photographed.  I'm not as thin as I used to be.  My hair was not perfect.  But our foreign exchange student said it best..."I will never forget that family picture."  I am glad I am in this photograph...for my memories and the memories of my family.

I Love Weddings! Top 5 Reasons Why I Love Weddings

I just love weddings!  Plain and simple.  It seems almost everybody loves weddings and many people have their favorite parts which are their favorites for very different reasons.  Weddings are incredibly emotional and bring out so many emotions in each of us. 

I recently photographed a wedding in Groesbeck, Texas and as I worked through the images I felt an array of emotions which compelled me to write this list...The Top 5 Reasons Why I Love Weddings!

1.  LOVE!  I love weddings because there is so much love and happiness all around!  The bride and groom are happy.  They are filled with a tremendous amount of love.  The family and friends are also happy - happy for their loved ones that will soon be united in marriage.  At this wedding, the venue changed slightly due to flooding in the area.  The wedding was supposed to be outside, however the grounds were very soggy and the weather on March 19th was pretty windy and chilly as well.  This caused the wedding to move inside a small building.  To some this might have caused the bride to become upset, however Courtney had a carefree attitude and was determined to make the small room absolutely beautiful for her wedding day.  When I showed up the day before to look at the venue, she was super calm and just told me, "When you get here tomorrow this room is going to look so different...it's going to be crowded, but it will be beautiful."  When I showed up on the wedding day and saw the small room, I was honestly shocked!  I NEVER would have imagined it would have looked so amazing!  Love kept her calm.

The Visitor's Center at the Historic Old Fort Parker site in Groesbeck, Texas was a wedding venue.  The wedding had to be moved indoors due to recent flooding on the grounds.

2.  THE DRESS!  I love seeing the bride's dress at a wedding!  There are so many beautiful dresses out there that and bride's look absolutely stunning in them!  Courtney wasn't any different!  The look on the groom's face when he sees his bride in the dress is priceless.  Many people don't notice this since they are all looking at the bride as well.  Seriously, how can you not look at her as she's coming down the aisle?

A beautiful bride in a beautiful dress!

3.  DYNAMICS!  I'm a people watcher.  Everywhere I go, I watch people.  I am intrigued by the way they interact with one another.  As a photographer I get to watch people and photograph them interacting with one another.  I can honestly say that in two years of photographing families, I have yet to find two that are the same.  They might look the same at the surface, but their mannerisms and behaviors towards one another are completely different.  This isn't a bad thing at all!  Imagine how boring this world would be if we were all the same?  This wedding was not only a union of a couple, but a union of a young family.  Courtney has two children that Dustin married as well.  Watching him interact with those young boys melted my heart.  They are so lucky to have a man in their lives that cares for them that much.  It is obvious just how much those young boys are loved by their parents, family, and friends. 

The first family photograph!

4.  KIDS' REACTIONS!  Look at the photograph above.  The look on the boy's face says SO much!  Again, I'm a people watcher so I love watching facial expressions.  This image cracks me up because the young man looks like he is telling the world, "This is MY mom and I will ALWAYS be here for her!"  His mouth is clenched and his eyes are almost glaring at me.  Either he really dislikes me (which I doubt because everyone adores me (: ) or he's giving the world a secret message that he protects his mom.  I'm pretty sure she feels the same way about him too!

5.  THERE'S ALWAYS ONE IN EVERY CROWD!  At every wedding that I have attended, there is always one guest that is the entertainer.  I LOVE watching them!  They just have a fun attitude that draws attention.  Well, this wedding there were TWO entertainers!  Courtney is a lucky lady because she both of them as dads!     

When Courtney danced with her dad, they had an upbeat song which was fun to watch them dance too. 

Courtney's dad striking a pose.

Two fathers, both with big personalities!

I am sure you have your own top 5 reasons why you love weddings and I'd love to hear about them!  Feel free to comment below.