To me, photographs are a way to capture a moment in someone’s life and history so they can remember that time in their life forever. It’s a wonderful way to help parents remember how small their babes once were, how it felt to be celebrating your first, second or last pregnancy together, how your family unit functioned and how full your heart was at every stage in life.

But I think so many people think they aren’t celebrating those things, so there’s no need for professional photos yet. Guys! Life is SO much more than those milestones! There’s tons of great reasons to get your picture taken – there’s always moments to remember and memories to freeze forever. Here’s a few of my favorite reasons to get photos taken:

1. Graduation! This is HUGE! You’re celebrating years of hard work! Grab that gown and smile. If nothing else, I can tell you – mom and dad would love a few photos of you on the steps of your school. This is a great chance to get a (non-selfie) picture with your favorite roommate, friends and professors too! 

2. A new furry family member! Um, hello! Those fur babies are our lives. Wouldn’t you want a nice picture of the two (or more!) of you to have forever? I’m all about pictures with my kitties and my sweet dog – even if they’re still figuring out what the camera is! 

3. A new home! Somewhere new to live? Yes! Capture it! Trust me, your house will never be that clean again (wait, did I say that outloud?). Pop some bubbly and let’s grab a few shots of your new abode. 

4. A new job/professional headshots! Grab some new headshots in your brand new work outfit and celebrate being an adult! Plus a non-selfie image is the best way to go on professional sites liked LinkedIn – you look much more responsible and mature. Trust me on this! 

5. Birthday! Okay, so I’ll be totally honest – the 30 year olds doing cake smashes kind of weird me out, but there’s nothing saying you couldn’t get some pretty portraits of yourself (with your spouse, significant other, mom, sister, dad, whoever!) to celebrate your birthday! We can even style the session to really bring out your personality, maybe sans cake smash… Why not?! 

6. Holiday cards! I mean, these are pretty much just straight family formals but it’s a good excuse to get the whole family together in one frame, right? There’s always a rush during the winter to get these done but be creative – choose a time that means the most to your family and do them then! Isn’t’ it nicer to get a picture of your neighbors on the beach on your holiday card instead of a selfie of them by the fire anyway? 

7. Your favorite vacation spot! I was lucky enough to travel to the Outer Banks every summer growing up with my extended family. That meant LOTS of great opportunities to photograph all the people I loved at once which was awesome!!! Is there somewhere special to your family? Shoot me a note, I promise you- having the chance to look back on those moments as a family, in a fun place is probably the best thing in the world. And – mom gets in the picture that way!! I don’t know how many photos I have from vacations where parents are missing because someone has to hit the shutter button. And vacations make people happy so to recap: Vacation with your family + happiness = reason for a photo shoot! 😉 

I’m all for pictures being taken “just because”, too. The people you love deserve to be remembered. The moments that make you happiest deserve to be shared. I think there’s something powerful about saying – let’s do this because I want to remember us, this way, forever. But sometimes, people want a little push – a “WHY” to these things, so I hope this has helped you brainstorm what you want to remember in your life! There’s always something in your life worth celebrating! I can tell you outright, you will never regret having too many pictures taken or putting up too many photos on your wall. I don’t even think it’s possible to take too many pictures of the people you love. This is your story, find reasons to share it!

XOXO, Kristina

 My head shots by Marie Hamilton Photography