If you don’t update your family photos every year – I get it.

Look, life goes fast, and it doesn’t stop. Every day, you get up, you get going, and you keep your kiddos alive and well, and mostly not trying to kill each other. And maybe, just maybe, there’s some time for you to be a grown up at the end of the night. I get it! I really do.

And with all that “getting by” it might not be at the top of your to-do list to schedule a family photo update for you and your kiddos. Especially since time feels like it’s flying by, so that session you had last summer might feel like it was yesterday.

There are some photos that will mean more long-term than they do right now!

With all the things you’re doing every day as the badass Mom you are, I’m sure you’re also taking pics of the things your kiddos do on a daily basis. I mean, we all do it! To keep, to send to your bestie – whatever the reason, your phone is pointed at your kiddos. But not all photos are created equal, and I don’t just mean “photos from a professional camera are cooler than photos taken on your phone”. Because I’ll be honest, it’s 2025. And while my camera definitely has bells and whistles that a Samsung smart phone doesn’t, we’ve gotten far enough that smart phones can actually kind of fake it some of the time. Portrait modes are the real deal now (at least if you’re not looking too closely.)

But even if you’re taking pictures of your kids, and you’re documenting the moments… that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for professional images. Specifically, when you want to be able to print the photos, to hang in your home, or share with future generations as heirlooms! Which, for the record, totally still matter, even in 2025.

1 – Photos with your parents/grandparents

The first type of family photo that you definitely need to update this summer (and every summer!!) is photos with your parents and grandparents. Now, this one kind of pulls at the heartstrings, but I can’t avoid that, because it’s true. Aging happens. And I know you’re dealing with all those million and one life things on a daily basis, trying to keep your kids alive, trying to keep your SELF alive, and juggling twelve schedules, and at least one meal-plan.

But life isn’t going to wait for you to have time. It’s not going to wait until things are calmer, or when it’s convenient to schedule a photo session. Life just keeps happening, no matter what we do. So when it comes to taking professional photos with the people you love most, it’s important not to wait until things are calm. Because the calm stretches are few and far between, and you deserve to remember the love you share with the elders in your family!

And the best part, is you can schedule an extended family photo session and get photos of you, your kids, the family elders, and everyone in between, all together, all sharing joy. Or, you can even schedule to have a photographer attend your family reunion, and these photos can be captured as a part of the event! With a session like that, you can tick this box, AND the two types of photos below that we haven’t talked about yet! All the birds, one stone (that’s close enough to the saying, right?)

2 – Your kids, being kids.

Now that we have most of the heartstring-pulling out of the way… the second type of photo that is definitely worth capturing with a professional, is photos of your kids, being kids! Not just because when they’re taken by a pro, they’re going to be printable, and shareable beyond the size of a phone screen… but also, because most kiddos are going to behave totally differently in front of a professional photographer than they will in front of your camera.

That doesn’t mean the same thing for all kids, and there are obviously exceptions to the rule. But those of us who point cameras at kiddos on a daily basis have some tricks up our sleeves, prompts we can use, and all kinds of secrets that help us pull those magical smiles out of even the most shy of kidlets! I’ve had sessions where sisters who are at the age where they won’t stop bickering even when heavily bribed have been smiling, and loving, and their most magical selves on camera, because that’s what I’ve spent years and years training to be able to do.

So set a time to professionally capture your kids being kids. Whether it’s as a part of an extended family photo session like I mentioned above, or it’s a mini session so you keep everyone’s stress super low – either way, photos of your kids being themselves are something you’ll look back on for years to come. And because of that whole “aging” thing we talked about… they will also only get more sentimental with time!

3 – Portraits of you, as you are, right now

The third type of family photo you need to update this summer, isn’t actually a “family” photo, per se. That’s because it’s all about you! Look, I get it. I understand wanting to wait until you’re ready. Wanting to lose the last ten pounds. Or wanting to get that new wardrobe. I really do.

But life? It’s not going to wait for ANY of those things to happen. It’s just going to keep on rolling, and if you’re not careful, you’ll turn around ten years from now, with nothing to look back on documenting… well, you. And if you’re not someone who takes selfies, then you’ll have even less. How you’ve changed, what you’ve learned, what you’ve lost, what you’ve gained, the choices you’ve made – those little moments are the reason a picture is worth a thousand words. Looking back at them – at yourself – in the years to come will be a completely different experience than looking at them when you get them… even though getting to see yourself through the eyes of your professional photographer is also different than seeing yourself through the eyes of that one group photo your friend took with their phone after that dinner where you might have been mid-carb-crash by the time everyone was photo-ready (you know the one I’m talking about).

And in ten years? They’re going to be FAR more sentimental than they are now, believe me.

You’ll thank me later!

One of the hardest parts of my job as a photographer, is explaining how important photos are later. Years from now. When you schedule a Minneapolis family photo session, you’re not just getting a package of pictures, you’re creating memories that you’re going to be able to look back on for literally the rest of your life. They’re an investment in remembering – not just remembering yourself, although that’s important too – remembering all of the members of your family who are important to you. Remembering the way your mom looks at your newborn daughter, that little sparkle in her eye.

So when I say “you’ll thank me later”… I don’t just mean after your session. I mean years and years and years down the line, when you find the album from your newborn session, and you get to relive the feel of your baby’s wisps of hair across your cheek. And even later, when you can remember the exact look of your father’s smile, years after he’s gone.

If you’re still looking to book a session for this summer, or you want to set up a session for autumn… let me know!

If it’s time to update any of these types of photos, or others, that means it’s time for us to have a chat! Just reach out, and I’ll get you set up with a session that will ensure YOU can remember all of these things for years to come, whether you’re hoping to document your whole family, your kids, your self, the elders – anyone and anything! Even your furry family members deserve to be remembered. So… let’s get you on the calendar, and make some memories!