Fun with Photography (or the Lack Thereof)

Tis the season where most young families are donning new gear and heading out with a photographer to the nearest Santa or Christmas Tree Farm...

We have never done this.

Beanie Girl has been in our lives for 3 years and we have never paid anyone to take photos of us. Not once. Not out of lack of desire, but there are a few big things that come into play with all of that family photo togetherness -

#1 You Have to Schedule a Day where You, a Photographer, and Your Family are all in the same place as the same time. I work Monday -Saturday. My Sailor works at least Monday-Friday, with the occasional 24hr+ shift thrown in there every few days (including weekends currently). As an example, this week we do not have a day off together where neither of us is working. I work when people generally don't (most of my clients are before or after business hours since THEY need to work to pay me), and he works whenever the Navy needs him - which is a lot. So we are often high fiving and handing off parenting duties on our way in/out the door, 7 days a week. We try to save 1 day a week for family day, but some days the week just doesn't cooperate- like this week.

Beanie Girl sleeping through out super hero encounter last May.

Summer Outdoor Concert, Silverdale, 2018

#2 You Have to Pay Someone. Everyone deserves a living wage - especially undervalued artists. So I get it. I do. But it seems as soon as we have the spare change to pay someone, something else more urgent crops up - like home repairs, car repairs, or -honestly- a rare date night. (Seriously - we haven't had one of this since April...). So, our best bet would be scheduling it during a vacation/leave, right? But more often than not, that money makes the difference between experiencing something fun as a family, and, well, having fancy photos with everyone smiling and, well, awake. While it would be nice, the memories are the most valuable part of those trips.

#3 You're supposed to, well, coordinate, right? Again, we so rarely buy new clothes (like maybe twice a year for the adults beyond essentials, more often for the kiddo since she grows so fast - she's not even 3 1/2 years old and in 5T solidly now) that asking me to buy coordinating outfits for 1 single shoot is ridiculous.

So while we've gotten lucky in past years with friends and family capturing awesome moments - this year, ya'll will have to live with a heart felt note in your Christmas cards. ;)