Why I hire family photographers

As a professional family photographer - I could technically photograph my own family. I have the gear (and lots of it), the lighting knowledge, the posing techniques, and editing software...so why would I hire someone else?

1. I want to enjoy my family during portraits - It's really hard to be in both "mom mode" and "work mode" (moms get it!), and if I am trying to multitask these two roles, either the way I'm mothering and interacting with my children, or my photography will ultimately not be my best work. Think: flustered and sweaty mom, kids who can feel the stress, and a less fun experience all around (and less joyful photographs to show for it).
2. I value what a photographer brings to the session beyond their gear - Here's the thing - I want another person photographing my children who is not their mom. Kids simply act different when it's just mom and dad, and having a professional photographer there with our family to guide us through their own structured portrait session experience lends to more authentic, playful, and beautiful memories of my kids. By letting our photographer focus on the light, composition, camera settings, shot list, and prompts to get the children to interact, I can sit back and enjoy my kids and know that we will walk away with a beautiful gallery of portraits. That's so valuable as a parent of four young children, where it took a lot of time and effort to coordinate the 6 of us to be ready and on location on time!
3. I want print-ready images without having to lift a finger - Culling and editing sessions is the most time consuming part of a family portrait experience. The session time on-locaiton with families is my absolute favorite part of my job, but it's just a fraction of the time spent on family galleries. Hours and hours go into selecting the best images and editing them to be true to color with a touch of film-inspired magic. With an editing queue on constant rotation for my professional sessions, I don't want to add my family's images to my queue...and honestly, I simply don't want to sift through hundreds of images of my own family and then spend hours edit them. I value the work that goes into this process and I want to outsource it to a professional, getting a gorgeous finished gallery delivered in my inbox just like my clients do!

Ultimately, a family session experience is something I truly value, and that's why I hire other industry professionals to document my own family! In fact, reaching out to Hannah (Hannah Drews photography in Ann Arbor, MI) was the first thing I did after booking our family vacation plane tickets! It's a priority for our family, and we make the time and space for it intentionally.

I know parents sometimes think...I could use my iPhone and take pretty good portraits of my kids, maybe I should just DIY it? And you absolutely can! But sometimes, hiring a professional and enjoying the process is the perfect option to get those joyful, authentic, print-ready family images you're dreaming of.