Moments by Andrea

You invested TIME, MONEY and probably negotiating power with your family!

You got yourself and everyone else together and looking good!

You even got them to the session ON TIME and IN ONE PIECE!NOW WHAT?

        

Parenthood on NBC (2010-2015)- IMDB photo

Have you ever seen the TV series “Parenthood”? Somehow I had completely missed it and once I started I was quickly hooked. Finished the series last week when I was sick in bed. I have to say it was a bit therapeutic.

Being parents is HARD and sometimes you feel like you are failing and that you are alone in your struggles. Knowing that your experiences are normal and being reminded that what you have is a gift (even when it is hard), is an invaluable lesson.

Parenthood is about a family with four grown children and it highlights not only the familiar struggles we experience as our children grow (and after) but also the incredible bond we share and the fact although parenting is hard, the challenges are counterbalanced with the intense love and moments of pure joy that make it all worth it.

Each episode highlights specific struggles they experience and often ends with some sort of resolution and a coming together to celebrate their love for each other. You can see that although they certainly have their challenges as a family, their love keeps them together and prevails.

I feel like my mini sessions are like the last scene in a Parenthood episode. It’s about a family putting aside their differences, forgetting about their struggles and taking a MOMENT in their busy and often chaotic lives to celebrate their love for each other.

I know that many families sign up for “mini sessions” with the intention of getting the perfect holiday card pictures but what they get with me is so much more! Like the end of an episode of “Parenthood”, I like to think my images (or at least the images you get from them) are a bit therapeutic and a great reminder of the gift of family.

My goal with each session is to make it a FUN BONDING EXPERIENCE for the FAMILY . Most of the time it works but even when it doesn’t, there is something special captured through my lens.

I know that sounds a little corny but it really is true. Check out the pics in my slideshow below and you will see that my sessions are fun!

This was my 11th Annual Fall Family Photo Day and I really do feel like my experience with over 1800 mini sessions pays off for my clients.

My pictures are NOT traditional static posed shots of everyone sitting still and smiling at the camera in a forced way.

My pictures are natural looking (posed candid I call them) images that CELEBRATE the LOVE and CONNECTIONS the family shares.

It’s a lot of pics but so worth the time to watch!

P.S. It has music (I love the feeling it adds) but I can only figure out how to use one song so it repeats. Volume can be turned off if it bothers you.

Fall Mini Session Favorites 2016

One of the reasons most of my sessions are so successful in such a short time is because I work hard to prep my clients and they listen. They do an amazing job getting their families ready and it shows in the images!

Is it easy for them? Do all the families in these images arrive without any battle scars? Do all the sessions go perfectly? NO but we still capture images like these!

Behind each family with perfect smiles and love in their eyes are normal people with struggles just like everyone else.

You don’t see the mom stressing out over the perfect outfits, the spouse that didn’t want to come (or pay) or the kids that didn’t like their outfits, hate having their picture taken or were fighting on the car ride over.

It’s just that for the few minutes they are with me, those hard times melt away (or at least fade a bit) and the love shines through. More corny stuff but true. 😉

It can be hard work (mostly for mom) getting the family ready and arriving on time in one piece BUT once they are there they are in my hands and we almost always (there are exceptions) get amazing images regardless of what went down ahead of time.

My moms read my tips, plan ahead and show up for their ten or twenty minute session well prepared and ready to make the most of their time and have fun!

New families are often hesitant to sign up. They worry that they won’t be able to get much in such a short time. I get it. A good experienced professional photographer is an investment and my sessions are so short.

Fortunately they soon find out my quick sessions are ideal and plenty of time for me to work my magic.

I often have moms tell me after the session that the kids had so much fun and even dad (who normally hates family portrait sessions) said it wasn’t so bad (code for “it was actually fun”) and he they are looking forward to next year.

Most clients that pick me love that I only offer ALL Digital Images. It takes the stress off the ordering process and ensures that no moments are left behind. My clients are the families that value professional photography as an art but also happen to be very busy and appreciate the short sessions.

Although they appreciate having great pics for their holiday cards, the images are for them to enjoy as a family.

Check out a few of my favorites from this past September & October mini sessions. What beautiful families!

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It gets dark early in the winter so studio lights are a must when shooting after 3/4pm.

We can shoot in my white room BUT it’s not the same with studio lights as it is earlier with the natural light enveloping the room.

Here is a sample of the lighting I took yesterday. If you like it we can still shoot in there BUT I will also have my traditional studio ready.

I prefer studio for darker times. The background is grey.

Sample afternoon studio options.

        

I am soo thankful for the way my life turned out. I couldn’t ask for more (except maybe a smaller waistline) but I am worried about my kids. I want to protect them from the pain that I experienced. I want them to be confident and believe in themselves. I want them to be happy.

It took me a long time to find the happiness I have now as an adult. I want them to have it much sooner than I did.

I was bullied in high school and I want to share my story in hopes to help other women or girls experiencing this type of bully.

Read my story carefully. It might not be what you expect.

My bully was a pretty girl with a ton of friends who was nice to everyone EXCEPT ME and very few people knew about it. She did it when they weren’t looking.

She called me FAT, UGLY, STUPID! She told me all my friends were prettier and smarter than me! She made me feel UNWORTHY of LOVE. She told me I would be an old cat lady one day and nobody would ever love me the way that I was.  She made me CRY almost EVERY DAY for a long time! I was in so much pain there was a time I would go home, eat until I couldn’t move and then cry myself to sleep.  I hated going to school. I wanted to hide away in my room. I dropped out of sports and I gained 50 lbs in like a year! It was TORTURE!

I’m 44 now and have grown stronger so her words don’t hurt me as much but I STILL SEE HER from time to time. She’s grown too so she’s not as mean as she used to be BUT she still does little things to try to bring me down.

I never understood how she could be SOOO NICE to EVERYONE ELSE but treat me like dirt. She has a heart of gold, is extremely sensitive, hates conflict, loves animals, works hard, is kind to everyone, sees the best in (most) people, is giving, loving and believes you should treat others as you wish to be treated.

My bully was ME! You see, while I would never purposely hurt another person or animal, I abused myself on a daily basis because I thought I deserved it.

I suffered with depression for most of my teen years and am much better now but from time to time, I feel the pain again. The weight is still with me. When I was depressed, as a teenager and young adult, I used to think that “If I lost all this weight I would be happy!”  In my mind, it was the key to happiness! I tried several times, failing again and again but one time in my early 20s I got down to my eighth grade weight! I was thin for the first time in my adult life but it didn’t last!

I remember the moment when I realized that as thin as I was, I STILL FELT FAT and was unhappy! I thought “Oh shit! It doesn’t matter what I weigh! I’m fat in my head and I can’t get away from it!“  Man was that an “ah ha moment”. It’s been a struggle of 70 lbs up and down since then.

Right now I’m close to my heaviest and it sucks BUT I’m lucky to have a man that loves me and doesn’t mind the weight as long as I don’t complain about it. He’s perfect for me!

I KNOW I’m worthy and I have literally EVERYTHING I ever dreamed of having and more! Teenage me would NEVER believe the amazing life I have, so WHY do I still struggle with my weight? Not sure I will ever know!

I will tell you that as the mother of two daughters (and a son) I try VERY hard to not talk about my weight or looks in a negative way. I swore the day I found out that I was having a girl that I would not body shame myself or them for their appearance.

I worry that might not be enough. My mom always told me I was beautiful and perfect just the way that I was. She was kind, loving and supportive of everything I did but it didn’t matter. She NEVER body shamed me. I did that all on my own.

When she told me I was beautiful (or made another compliment), I would say “You’re just saying that because you’re my mother.” I knew it wasn’t true. I knew my fat made me ugly and unworthy despite all the building up she tried to do for me.

I want to go back to that girl and tell her “It’s GOING TO BE OK! You ARE worthy! You WILL find love and success and everything you ever wanted! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF” I want to be her BEST FRIEND, NOT her BULLY! I want to lift her up, not tear her down.I want her to know SHE IS BEAUTIFUL just the way she is.

Problem is that at 44, my self worth is still tied up in the number on the scale! I still hesitate to go anywhere that I have to wear a bathing suit. I still get upset when I see pictures of myself when I’m heavy like this. I still don’t understand why I can’t lose the weight and keep it off.

I wish I had a “happy ending” to this story but the fact is that there is NO ending! Fighting the inner bully are a LIFE LONG BATTLE! I’m not depressed (love my life) but I still struggle with my body image.

I think that is why I use my photography to make other women feel beautiful! I’ve been doing it since I was that girl in high school!

I used to take my friends to a local park or even into the city and pretend they were models.

That is when I learned the power I had with my camera.

When I look through my lens I SEE YOU…REALLY SEE YOU and I capture a beauty that emanates from within. It’s truly magical!

It’s my gift. It’s the power to create images (and an experience) that can show someone their own beauty, something we often miss when we look in the mirror or get a snapshot of ourselves on an iphone.

I can’t tell you the joy I get when I turn the camera around and show a client how they look and they hear themselves say the words: “Wow, I look beautiful!”. It’s music to my ears. Knowing that I GAVE THEM THE GIFT of hearing those words come from their OWN MOUTH (not their mom’s or their friend’s) is an experience like no other. It’s why I do what I do!

I use my photography to help others defeat their own inner bully, to show them what others see. To show them they are beautiful, especially if they can’t see it for themselves.