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remember forever ago when i started the “five” series… yeah, i don’t either. i totally forgot about it until i was perusing my blog and realized that it lasted one whole week… that’s what i get for starting a blog series in the thick of wedding season. well, i am here to tell you “FIVE” is making a comeback! today i am giving you five reasons to get in front of a lens (i don’t care who’s lens it is!) every single year… yup, i said, every year. 

drew + i along with our scruffy pup chloe recently got photos snapped by two sweet sisters, chloe + hannah (yes, it was confusing to know if we were addressing the crazy pup or the photographer, but hey, we have good taste in names!) these girls were absolutely fantastic, a breath of fresh air. you should totally swing by their blog + leave them some love. a year ago when drew + i got married i told him that i wanted to make an effort that each year, no matter what we would get photos taken of our lives to remember exactly where we were at the time. boy, am i glad that my husband is a natural in front of the camera and up for anything that will make me happy! he is seriously the best.

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so here goes my five reasons to get photos every year. 

1.) you can freeze a moment in time: a year ago we were in a pretty lace dress and a suit, now we are in jeans and tee shirts and in our humble first “home.” we look a little different, act a little different, and have a puppy who has a love/hate relationship with the camera. i really wanted this session to capture “us” and our space. i wanted it to be real life, not a picnic in the park. when i look back i want to remember the pretty leather couch that we eat too many dinners on and fall asleep watching tv. this is us, right now, one year into married life. glamorous or not, these photos tell a story.

2.) show off your style: okay, we’ve all done it… looked at our parents old photos and asked them “what the heck were you thinking?” and i have to say, my dad had a pretty impressive afro that my mom permed. but you know what, i love that. that was then, this is now… i know that some things i wear will become those items that i question my sanity but at the same time i think it is totally fun and refreshing to go back and laugh at some of the trends and to remember wearing that piece or trend and rocking it. so i always tell people, be bold, have fun with your outfit, just do you. which is why i sported this fabulous warby parker glasses that i just love, they make me feel like a total hipster.

3.) the value of a professional photo: how could i, a professional photographer, tell people they need to get family photos taken annually if i didn’t believe it myself. it is an investment, but a worthwhile one. our society values things, things like cars and clothes and technology. but those things don’t allow memories to come flooding back when you look at them. most will end up in the closet or goodwill, photos tell stories. i am setting an example and telling you why i value professional photography. it tells our story and these ladies told our story absolutely perfectly. i want to blow these up and put them on my wall and each day when i walk past them, i want to remember that moment and have the emotions to come flooding back. i want to remember our bookshelf and the DIY coasters i made for a christmas present, a pair of jeans can never do that for you.

4.) allow it to be real life: in a pinterest filled world, people are so worried about making their photos absolutely perfect. heck, we’ve all fallen into the trap of wanting life to appear absolutely perfect. but there is something so authentic and raw about capturing what life is actually like for you. we don’t have picnics in a field of tall grass everyday, nor do we hold bunting banner with cute messages. i love all of that stuff, trust me, i totally do. but when you have photos taken annually you can show different aspects of your relationship and different stages of life. this stage includes a plain white condo that we have desperately tried to make our own, but i love it and years from now when we look at these photos we will remember “our first place” even if it isn’t perfect or blog worthy. 

5.) okay, this last one is a little selfish: learn. for me it is so so enlightening and refreshing to get in front of a lens. it is seriously eye opening to see exactly what my clients go through and the emotions that photo shoots can evoke. take for example the planning: here i am the night before wondering what the heck i am going to wear, nervous excited. then i am freaking out because i have this awful zit that is the size of mount everest and suddenly i wonder if i should cancel. enter photographers: sweet as can be, super supportive, full of ideas. they totally just let us do our thing and made is so comfortable. suddenly, i wasn’t thinking about what i looked like, i was thinking about how much i love my husband and how our little dog is a rascal but is our little child. it all kind of faded away and i loved every moment of it. i learned that it isn’t about the perfect shot but more so the real emotions behind it and it totally reminded me how important my job is and how blessed i am to do it.