Family Photos.  The term can bring an amazing excitement to some family members and a little cloud of gloom over the heads of other family members.  Ther prase ‘family photos’ conjure images of matching outfits, painfully long sessions and poses that don’t really make anyone excited.  Dad’s are normally in this category, but more than once I have been quite surprised that it is the Mom’s that are hesitating this effort rather than the Dads.  I am here though, writing to you – my customer, my potential customer or maybe just the person who has stumbled upon my site that is curious about why Suzanne Taylor Photography is one of the best photographers in Central and Southern Alberta for final images, reviews, and overall satisfaction.

A Very Special Edition of Family Photos

This fall, I decided to run mini sessions how I have never run them before: cheaper.  That may sound tacky, but over the years, Suzanne Taylor Photography has grown into more of a Fine Art photography style, creating the need for more time prior, during and post-session in the planning, shooting, and editing of the images I have captured.  This takes serious time but creates images that are genuine, beautiful and authentic in a way that few others can emulate.

That being said, this year I dropped my prices to make sure that everyone who wanted to book a mini session could – matching the average mini session price between Red Deer and Calgary, Alberta.  I certainly have recognized that the Alberta landscape has changed in the last couple of years – having families go from lots of wealth to barely getting by and realizing that in fact, the family is what makes life worth living – not the bells and whistles that a fast and furious lifestyle can afford.  Certainly, not everyone who booked a session found themselves in that situation, but I for one am a HUGE fan of a great deal and I encourage ANYONE to book family photos via mini sessions while they can because much like Christmas, they only come around once a year – with no guarantees from year to year.  I run them when I feel like it and when my other jobs dictate that I have time to do so because 25+ sessions take a long time to process.

One of the First Family Mini Sessions of 2017

Family photos with this family were one of the few sessions that I had been looking super forward to when I first opened up bookings.  I look forward to all my sessions, but this one, in particular, was special because I knew the family well and I happened to know that they love each other very much – pretty keen ingredients to creating a beautiful session.  This family sadly has also has lived through tragedy and how they elected to pay tribute to a child that touched this world only briefly was something I was very eager to witness – because the love for this child is still as strong as you would hope it was.  This indeed was a very special family and a very special session.

This Family made Family Photos Look Amazingly Easy

As a photographer, I have photographed hundreds of people and families over the last 10+ years.  Every family photo session is different and every family photo session yields a different result as the interactions, relationships, and lives of every person is so different.  No matter the circumstances though, I look at any family session as one that is unique and has a lot to offer in the sense of photography.

This family made their family photo session amazingly easy.  They laughed, they played, they enjoyed each other’s company and shared so many precious memories that my photography cards were full before I knew it.  Every smile towards the camera – every laugh and every hug was the most genuine moment – even between the kids.  Photographing siblings during family photos can always be a bit of a wild ride because sometimes siblings are not always on speaking terms when the session starts.  These kids though were as good to each other as you can imagine and it shows in every picture of them together.  Only children who are loved and cherished can be this at peace with each other and reflect the love they feel on their faces during family photos and it is always exciting to watch as the photographer.

Family Photos to Honor

While this family is one of the most loving I have ever come across, they are missing one little soul that they love and think of daily – and always include.  A little over a year ago, they lost their youngest son at birth and the whole family has committed to never letting his precious memory fade from their lives.  For this session, they brought a little, stuffed bunny to commemorate their beautiful child.  That bunny was included in all of the family photos and was selected by the family for a space on their wall.  The whole family has gone on a journey that differs for each of them and is still emerging out the other side – together and lovingly.  As a former social worker, I recognize the importance of honoring a loss and was so happy to capture the memory and moment for this beautiful family.

As the years go on, the family unit changes.  People unit, have children, stay together, split (sometimes), remarry (sometimes), and accept that some people enter and exit our lives over the course of our lifetime.  It is all part of our story and while the story sometimes isn’t as perfect as you want it to be, it is still part of your history and of your life.  This is important because the generations to come need to be able to look back and know what happened, how you celebrated and how you embraced the moments that were not always perfect.  Family photos preserve this and keep your story alive.

Thank you to this family for your trust, your time and your commitment to making sure that your future generations – and your own children – always know where they came from and where they fit in your lives.

Warmly,
Suzanne
XO

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Like this post?  Why not check out this post about family photography in Red Deer, Alberta!