Since the birth of my first child, I've been on a quest to have her picture professionally taken every few months and then later once a year. I don't really know why I do this because with today's technology her every move has been documented in multiple formats. Trust me, if you want to know what she looked like at 16 months and 3 days, I have pictures. It all started so innocently... a coupon to Sears (our closest portrait studio at the time) for a baby picture. How could I say no? I bought a really cute outfit for her and made an appointment. During this experience I learned some things I never considered.
1. Babies puke (a lot). Outfits don't look so cute when they are stained with wet milk, so multiple outfits will be required and they can not be dressed until the last second.
2. Babies sleep (a lot). Waking up a sleepy baby is not good so from now on appointments would have to been timed very carefully.
3. Babies cry (a lot). They do not smile on cue no matter what faces you make or how much you plead. They don't care how much effort you made to get there or how many people are waiting in line behind you. Speaking of that, even the most carefully timed appointment will never start on time chiefly because of the reasons stated above.
All experienced mothers know these things yet something inside us [or maybe it's a grandparent's urging] compels us to seek out professional photography. In a portrait studio the lighting is just right (no red eyes), the background is carefully chosen (no toys on the floor), the outfits are coordinated (no stains), and the hair is styled complete with curls, bows, etc. (rather than unkempt). We can attempt to control the environment, but the one thing we can not control is the image that gets captured on the screen. That's the part which feels more like rolling the dice. Will they smile naturally or will we get one of those 'forced' grins? Will their personality shine through or will it look like someone we hardly recognize? And that's the crux of it isn't it? We want their pictures to genuinely reflect how we perceive our kids looking. I made several photographers cry when I've said, "No, that really doesn't look like them. Can we try it again?"
Emily's first professional picture. She set the bar high. This remains one of my all time favorite pictures. What you don't see is how covered with spit up I was while getting ready for our turn.
As we moved through toddlerhood and then on to school-age, the photography events got easier in some ways (no more spitting up and napping) but much harder in others. I remember chasing Emily around the studio trying to get her to stand in one place, pleading with James to wear a nice shirt (and not use it as a napkin), and bribing Kat with ice cream, toys and many other things.
The top picture is Emily and bottom one is Kat. Just to make things more difficult, I dressed them in the same dress. What you may not notice is that Emily would not stand still. This is the only picture actually in focus.
Complicating matters, now there was not only individual pictures but group photos as well.
In this picture James' sensitive area was literally being crushed. I had no idea until they stood up and he burst into tears. I can't even look at this picture without thinking of how much pain he was in. Poor boy!
Add in Christmas family pictures, cousins' pictures, and the ever dreaded school pictures (which we rarely purchased since there were too many variables out of my control - think closed eyes, goofy grins, hair standing up, etc.) and you have an event worth sheer dread/loathing/distain... take your pick.
I have no idea what James was thinking here, but clearly "say cheese" did not motive him to smile. The rest of us look decent, so this is the one we went with. Makes me laugh when I see it though.
A few weeks ago I purchased a Groupon to JC Penny's for one of their photo packages. I knew it'd be time for school pictures soon and given that at least two of my kids are teens now, I thought it would probably be easier than ever. Wrong. So wrong. My first mistake was waiting till the day of to get my 14 year old's hair cut. Drama. Mistake number two was not planning coordinating outfits (not matching... those days are long over). Drama. Mistake number three was assuming I could just find something quickly at the store where the pictures were being taken. More drama. The studio kindly pushed my appointment time back so we could shop a little longer but that did not help at all. That just allowed time for more stress, a few tears (Emily's mascara running), hungry stomachs (James and I didn't eat lunch), and pouting about not having the right shoes (Kat wearing boots and Emily in sandals). Ugggh!
In the end we did find something to wear and I must say the kids were very cooperative during the picture taking part. Praise God for that! They even waited patiently while the pictures uploaded and were also easy going about the selections. That part is always harder for me. The coupons never really give you exactly what you want. Plus they're always so sneaky about putting collages together that look adorable but aren't part of the package. And still a concern is whether the expression captured really reflects your child as you see them. Add in a husband or grandparents' opinion and it really gets complicated. I've been known to either walk away from pictures I wish I had purchased as well as purchased some I really shouldn't have. It's not an easy task, at least for this mama. I've said "never again" more than once, but when I look back at each picture I'm not just remembering a moment in time, I'm really remembering an experience. Some of them more difficult than others, but definitely all worth while.
These pictures will represent their 9th, 8th, and 5th grade year. You may see typical kid smiles, but I see a whole afternoon worth of drama. I wonder what they'll remember of this day when they grow up. My meltdown? Their new clothes? Being really hungry?
