As a mom, letting go is really hard. It’s hard to let go of being in control of your family. It’s hard to let go and let your children make their own decisions and in turn make mistakes. It’s also hard to let go of caring how we appear in photos. I am the very same way. When we have photo sessions with our families, we of course try to look our best. But there comes a time, when trying to look your best throughout your entire session gets in the way. Worrying about your top. Worrying about which side of your face is prettier. Worrying about your hair. Worrying if everyone is looking at the camera and not at each other.   What most people don’t get is, MOST of my shoots I try to get my families to look at each other.  It shows connection.  However, my brain works the same way. Trust me. I worry about how things will turn out as well, but I have learned to let go.  I finally realized one day that I was in NO photos with my kids because I didn’t like the way I looked. Ok. That’s just crazy. Why do I care about what I think about myself. What I SHOULD  think about is how my kids see me. Now  Im not saying to go be all dirty and not get dressed , etc etc. We all need to feel good about ourselves.  Of course we do. Shoot, I even “take things in” on most moms without telling them just so we can feel better about ourselves, even just a tiny bit 🙂 We can all use some flattening haha. But, my most successful photo sessions of families, are those where mom and dad let the children be the focus of the shoot and just learn to let go, if even a little bit. It’s hard. Trust me I get it.  Photo sessions are times to capture your family. How you all interact. The smiles on your kids faces.  The non-smiles on your kids faces. Just capture your kids are they ARE. Non forced.  I am at the point in my life where I KNOW I don’t look like I did when I was 25. I’m a mom.  My life is crazy insane busy. I love my kids. All I want is moments captured.  If I am in the shots with my kids, those shots are perfect. They make my heart happy. My kids can look back and say, wow, look at how you looked at me. Look at how I’m looking at you with adoration at the age of 3. Or look how crazy I was, how in the world did you handle me mom?  Learn to let go. Capture whats real.

For those that have had a shoot with me, you all know I don’t like to super pose. I gently direct you in to positions so we can have you all in the same place at the same time, and AIM to get everyone looking at the camera for at least one shot (the grandma shot). With larger families or kiddos who like to be a kid :), it’s not always that easy. For me the best sessions are those were we capture moments.

I have known this family for a long time. They are wonderful parents, wonderful people and created a darling little girl.  I love all of my clients and could write this about so many of them, I really could. Actually I SHOULD write this about a really large family, like the one  I am currently editing, but this was on my heart. While  I was editing this shoot below all this came to me. Not ONE time did mom worry about how she looked during the shoot. She is of course beautiful. But she just interacted with her daughter in ways that were natural, which then created beautiful moments.   She was not worried about a thing, even when her daughter didn’t want to “smile for the camera” to start.  Afterwards she let me know how much she loved the moments we captured. Moments. That is why I do this. To capture moments. Now, you may say, “ok, but mom looks perfect in all of them”. I promise you, anyone looking in on your family session will say the SAME thing, but moms will always find something wrong with themselves. I do the same thing. It’s actually kind of sad. Little things. Im always happy to fix them when I can, but sometimes we need to let it go 🙂

Learn to let go. I personally have over this past year and I am in a LOT more photos with my kids. I don’t change the way I look but do always try to of course look my best when I have the time. I embrace how my children and I love each other more than anything in this world. That, to me, its the most important thing about photography.

I would love to photograph your family! If you are interested in a session please email me for more information!

Emily Lucarz Photography specializes in newborn, child, baby, maternity, family and senior photography in Saint Louis, Missouri and surrounding areas.