Life moves fast. If you’re like me, you have to be tired of hearing it, thinking it, and seeing it before your eyes. Nevertheless, it’s true. Our kids go through ages and stages and none of it is slow. Every new season is our favorite and we long to bottle it all up! We try to freeze it with photos- and what a true gift that is. But one session a year can only hold so much, and life doesn’t slow down to fit neatly into a single gallery.
We book a single session hoping to capture everything. But life doesn’t unfold in one golden-hour evening. Instead, it’s a slow, beautiful series of ordinary days. That’s why one family photo session a year just isn’t enough.
I see it all the time. We plan one photo session a year, hoping to capture it all.
The connection. The growth. The magic. The details that shift before we even realize it.
And that session is beautiful, don’t get me wrong! It’s beautiful and I LOVE seeing it all and you all once a year. I live for the golden light, tender moments, genuine smiles. But the truth is, life doesn’t unfold in a single evening!
It unfolds in the way your toddler rests on the edge of the recliner during homeschool time.
In the bedtime songs, the tiny socks that you can’t resist keeping (unless that’s just me 😆). The morning snuggles.
In the way your baby clutches the couch, then lets go… and walks!
I personally feel the ache of time, but I see it in my clients, too.
Not long ago, I photographed a family in the early summer.
Their little boy wasn’t walking yet, just standing, unsure, those wobbly knees and wide eyes.
We captured all of it: the crawling, the cruising, the way he’d reach up for his mama every few minutes for reassurance.
Like seriously maybe two weeks later, she messaged me.
“He took his first steps yesterday. Just let go of the coffee table and walked straight into my arms.”
And I couldn’t stop thinking: We were just there. And now this.
Those first steps are the kind of moment we think we’ll never forget. But life keeps moving. Fast.
And before you know it your kids are running. Then climbing. Cabinets. Trees. You name it.
Kids grow slowly, and then all at once.
Their faces change. Their voices deepen. Their arms grow long and lanky.
And if we only pull out the camera once a year, we miss most of it. I know, because I’ve been there. I AM there. My kids are growing faster than I can keep up with.
Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for growth. It’s hard, but it’s beautiful.
The messy, magical progression of ordinary days turning into years is just bittersweet.
The way our mama love just deepens over time. You think you couldn’t possibly love them more, and then you do. The way your story gently shifts with each passing month is seriously palpable!
Which leads me to this.
I’ve been dreaming of a better way to capture that story – one that doesn’t try to cram a whole year into 45 minutes.
If you’ve ever wished you could pause time in the thick of it…
If you’ve ever looked back and thought, I don’t want to forget this part…
Then this might be for you!
Something new is coming May 1.
Stay close. 💛
Can’t wait for the big reveal!
~ Melena
