This is not a photo post. I know, right?! WOW!! Haha …. but sometimes even I have to spill out my heart – without photos – haha!This is not a post where I want to criticize anybody, and I LOVE the school Anya is attending, so I really hope I’m not going to make anybody upset here – BUT – I saw Anya’s school photos today! Ha! Let’s just let that hang in the room for a second, haha! The fact that I somehow missed the heads-up email that we usually get from school did not help my/her case (haha) and Anya was wearing something … well let’s say … it wouldn’t have been anything I would have recommended for photos ;o) … but in my case it also doesn’t matter that much, though … it would have been fun to buy a school photo, just for the sake of having one.
Now – I know school photographers don’t have an easy job! They go in a classroom, full of screaming kids – if they’re lucky they get an empty room assigned, but I’m sure that’s not always the case …. they probably can’t spend more than 5 minutes on each kid as they have hundreds to go through, and that’s it guys! No matter if the kid was happy that day / that MOMENT (!), no matter if the photographer had an assistant or not, for some kids those will be the only “professional” photo(s) they get. Now …. fair enough …. some people do not have the money to spend for an extra shoot and a free school photo session comes in handy. Some parents don’t care about having professional photos of their kids (hey, everybody has different priorities, not judging anybody!!). Some parents think that no photographer will do a better job and that’s just the camera smile they’ll have to live with, but let me tell you … dang am I happy I am a photographer and have the time to tickle the REAL Anya out of her for a few photos here and there – and it’s sure not an easy task, even for me, the mom!
I am not telling you you HAVE to get a photo shoot every year, otherwise you’re a bad person, but years down the road, don’t you think you wish you would have invested a little money for some nice looking photos of your kiddo / family? A photo shoot might look expensive at first, but think about it in the long term! Skip that night out or …. 3 …. skip buying tose two expensive dresses, or a few trips to the nail salon!
Again – school photographers don’t have an easy job, and to be honest, they did get Anya smiling in some photos (which I know is not easy / and I’m definitely not saying the school did a bad job picking a photographer!). But it’s not about getting a smile or not, the question is, is it her REAL smile? Nope, it isn’t. A good photographer will take time to build a relationship with you and your kids. A good photographer doesn’t work by the clock and doesn’t rush a kid! I guarantee you, you will not get the REAL smile if you put any kid in front of a stranger with a camera! That kid needs to feel comfortable first, you need to joke around with him/her, you need to tickle it, you need to make funny sounds, faces, involve stuffed animals and a whole lot of other things. Same counts for adults. That’s why all my package include engagement photos, I will not let you book me if you don’t agree on engagement photos these days, it’s all about building a relationship and trusting and getting to know the person behind the camera, that’s how you get that real smile!
Again, I’m not saying you are bad people if you don’t get professional photos taken every couple of years, but give a photographer in your area a chance to capture the REAL you, to help you make some memories.
I am not going to post the photos of Anya that I got from the school photographer, I am honestly glad he’s doing this job and parents are getting photos on a regular basis. But having seen the option to buy some of the photos as a canvas for over a couch …. boy, that just kinda gave me shivers, haha!! PLEASE consider having a real session – maybe even with THAT photographer, I promise you (ok, that’s a hard promise, but …), you’ll get nicer photos and a bigger chance to get that REAL smile from a photo shoot that lasts longer than 5 minutes ;o)
That’s all I have to say ;o)
I know most people that will read this are either some of my (already) clients or photographers, and will probably agree :o) But if you know somebody that maybe can’t afford a shoot, or maybe just need to have some encouragement to get some professional photos taken, contact somebody in your area and give them a photo credit for a baby shower, birthday gift or everyday gift – they’ll be glad you did! :o)
