What’s Your Story?

Now and then, my girls like to open up our photo albums and relive parts of our family story. They love the photos from the sledding parties at Grandma and Grandpa’s house or the ones from when we moved to our farm and had so much cleaning up to do. As they go through the books, I hear comments like ” I remember that!” and ” Wasn’t she so cute?” I am so thankful to have captured these times in our lives!

However, I noticed that there is one thing that was consistently absent from these photos: ME! Of course, I am the one taking the photos, but in all honesty, I am safely HIDING behind the camera. I can easily make up excuses and say “somebody has to be the photographer” or “I feel silly asking someone to take my photo”. But I feel the same way the rest of you do: I do not like having my photos taken and therefore I do not do it. I have let my insecurities and vanity take over!

Because of this, I have left myself out of the images that will tell my story to my daughters and granddaughters when I am gone. I want my girls to go through our family books to see and remember me and to remember how much I was a part of their story. I want them to look at my snapshot and see a younger me and maybe even see a little resemblance of themselves.
But most of all, I do not want the story of my insecurities to be rewritten in them. I want them to be confident and know that they are perfect and beautiful and made in the very image of God.

So, I have come out from behind my camera! I recently swapped photo sessions with my photographer friend and we actually had a session! It wasn’t easy for me, but I did it! And you know what? It was fun! If I can do it, so can you!

A family portrait session is the perfect way to get in the frame. It is an opportunity to capture images of you interacting with the ones that you love the most. The session is not focused on any one particular person but the family as a whole. Therefore it is not so intimidating.

Last fall, I had the opportunity to meet and photograph the Angeletti Family.  While working with them, I discovered that they had suffered a  very painful loss. In these images you can see, and almost feel, the love that has held them together. I am so glad that Nadja realized the importance of getting in the frame and telling her story.

I challenge YOU to get in the frame and tell the world YOURS!