Everyone these days has a camera at their finger tips with their phones, and the technology is amazing. But why should we still invest in professional photography?
I’m always encouraging people, Mum’s in particular to get in the frame and last year I decided to practice what I preach and book a photo shoot myself!
So here are my top 5 reasons for getting in the frame and booking a pro…
Your phone is not as good as a camera – fact!
Even with the most high tech phone on the market, it will not and never will match a professional camera and lenses that costs thousands of pounds. The light the lens takes in, the depth of field (that makes the background blurry), the shutter speed and a bunch of other technical factors means the quality of the image is superior by a mile. Shooting in RAW also means the alterations you can make with post production software is far superior to a standard filter. And when you print your photos professionally (with a high quality print lab), they are far and above better than phone prints and you can blow them up without noise.
I want to get in the frame with my kids
I am the parent that nags them the most and that is often the least fun. All the little things we do for our kids often go unnoticed and Daddy gets to be the fun one, who will wrestle my boys and play video games with them. I wanted to capture us with the kids at a certain age – my eldest was just 7 and starting to lose his teeth (which tends to change their face loads) and my youngest was a cheeky 3 and a half year old, and I wanted to capture my baby at the gorgeous toddler phase. I don’t want all the photos me and my children look back on to be selfies with them or terrible photos my husband took (though he rarely even takes photos of me with them!)
My own kids play up for me
Speak to any photographer and they will tell you that their toughest client is their own children. It’s really hard to get a picture of them just on my phone, let alone when I get the camera out. Having someone different to take the kids pictures and encourage them made such a difference, both for the children and me. It was a much more relaxed experience. Having a professional photographer that also has knowledge of the local area and finding the best light is key for really stunning images.
It’s a lot of fun!
I truly believe a photo shoot should be an experience. The whole family put their phones away so there’s no distractions, it’s quality family focused time. You’re in nature which always gets the best out of people, you’re playing games, interacting, cuddling and tickling. Ultimately you’re making memories. We did a golden hour shoot at sunset so the kids got to stay up a bit late which is always an adventure, and we just went for a walk and had an explore.
Celebrate
Don’t get me wrong, I know photo shoots aren’t cheap, but they are an INVESTMENT. You will be able to look back at the photos for the rest of your life and so will your children! I had just turned 40 so it was the ultimate gift to myself that I’d been thinking about for a while and then everything just seemed to align. My parents were about to have their 50th wedding anniversary so they came too for photos of us all together. My brother and niece were also visiting from New Zealand where they live and we hadn’t seen them for over 3 years, so post covid it was a really special occasion. Life goes by pretty quickly and you will never regret getting a photo shoot, but you might regret not!
My beautiful photos are thanks to the super talented Sarah Greer Photography, who my youngest completely fell in love with, the little flirt!
If you would like to know more about my photo shoots or to have a chat about booking one, please don’t hesitate to contact me tanya@aldcroft-photograhpy.co.uk. You can also contact me to buy a gift certificate for the mother in your life.
This is all so very true. We had our family Photoshoot done last Autumn by your good self and we are so very happy and delighted we did. We have some wonderful images which we are so proud to display and we all got to spend some really great quality time together. Every time we look at these photos they evoke really happy memories. You can’t put a price on that!
I’ve finally got two collages for my in-laws printed and framed they are delighted with them.
Anyone who is debating doing a family shoot, do it, you won’t regret it!
Thanks so much for your comment Eva! You guys were such a joy to photograph and your response is exactly why I do and love my job so much! So glad they are printed and up on the wall too, so important to do that!