Why we paid for a photo session | Investing In Us

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Nov 17

A Photo Session for Us

For years I have been wanting to have a legit photo session with my husband. By legit, I mean not setting our camera on a tripod and trying our hardest to get a few good images. I mean, have you ever tried this? It isn't easy and it takes the fun out of it. We even have a remote, but we usually quit after just a couple quick decent pictures. It's hard being the subject and the photographer. I just don't enjoy that. It makes me frustrated.Earlier this year, I came across another photographer in the Portland area. I fell in love with her work and her personality that was coming through her posts and stories on Instagram. Yes, I found her on Instagram. Why not? I think Instagram is the best place for photographers to show our work. It's like it was built for us. Moving along, we have our ten year anniversary coming up in May and I decided that we needed to make this happen. It is something we have been wanting for a while, so what better excuse than an anniversary?We originally wanted these pictures to have some good images of us, but it evolved into more than that. We decided to have a session without our little man, and that sent people down a road of asking us why? We started getting weird looks from some people that just didn't understand why we would want pictures without our little guy. Well, that's what this blog is for. We are investing in us.

Investing in Us

People with kids often forget to put their marriage first. Marriage needs to be a priority. You can't, we can't, let kids determine what our marriage will be. By having a photo shoot with just the two of us, we were able to do just that. By putting ourselves first, we are showing our little man that we care about each other and that we love each other. He needs to see this just as much as we need to have it. In order to be a better parent, I need to first love God and then my husband. That is right, my kiddo is third on the list. This is too often forgotten. We need to be reminded of this. Invest in your marriage. Keep it strong. Keep it growing. Keep it God centered. Do this however it works for you. Just do it.

Date Day

Oh ya. This is one of the best reasons to pay for a photo session even as a photographer. How many times do you sit around the table or couch with your husband trying to come up with a new date night or date day idea? I know my husband and I get into a rut of going to dinner and watching a movie on our couch. What else is there to do? Our minds go blank when we try and come up with a new idea. Seriously you guys, spending and hour or so at a photo session where you get just cuddle and love on your spouse. I can whole heartedly say that this is my favorite date to date. I can't remember the last time that we had this much fun. Maybe it was because we were able to throw snow at each other, I tackled him into the snow, we rolled around, ran around and just loved on each other. The best part is that we have pictures to remember this one of a kind date. We might just have to do it again someday. =)

Community Over Competition

If you are in any creative industry, you have probably been hearing this a lot lately. I remember the days when I just wanted all the clients. When I didn't want to share them or even want others to succeed. It is the selfishness in me. But you know what, I thrive when others thrive. I thrive when I support others in my industry. I might not thrive in a monetary sense, but I am whole heartedly excited to have been able to help out another photographer that I admire. Community over competition is a great movement. Do yourself a favor, find someone in your industry that you admire, who's work you love, and pay them for their services. Better yet, figure out how you can make that into a date night to do something different for a change. You might just learn something that will help you with your journey.

The Little Reasons

As a couple, we never got those lovely engagement photos. We have our wedding pictures, but sometimes you just want good pictures of you was a couple that are now and not then. Things change, your life changes, you change, so why not change those pictures around? The wedding day is important, but your marriage is more important.I've already mentioned this, but a huge push for us to have a photo session is our up coming 10th anniversary. However, I wish that we would have done this several times throughout the last 10 years. We have our tripod pictures and a few that our friends or family have snapped for us, but having these pictures means more. Why? Refer back to the section on "Investing in Us" and you have my answer. You don't have to have a big anniversary approaching or a big event coming up. Just do it for the fun of it.Christmas cards have always been a big motivator for new pictures. Yes we want to show off our little man and our dog. I'm going to be honest, our dog always makes our Christmas card even if it is a little photo on the back. Why not have a good shot of just you and your husband. Yes, you could get this with a family photographer. When I take family pictures, I always take some shots of the couple without the kids. But trust me as a photographer when I say it just isn't the same.

Great! You made it this far, now I want to hear from you. Who in your industry are you going to support by making a date night and how? I want to know. It is also a great way to share ideas with each other and step outside of our industry. Comment below. I can't wait to hear what you are going to do!Take a chance, go find a photographer and just have fun as a couple. Chances are that you will love what comes out of it.