Social media has become a part of everyday life for many people, including myself. It is a time drain as you get sucked into reading the musings of your peers, sharing little stories, and let's face it.....watching funny cat videos. (You know you've done it. lol). Well, social media may be a black hole of wasted time more often than not, but it also serves a higher purpose by reconnecting people who have lost touch with one another. It has done this for me countless times, and though it is nice to catch up in the cyber world, it is even better when your reconnection leads to an actual in-person gathering.
That is exactly what happened to me this past weekend. I was recently reconnected with a group of old friends, with whom I attended church when I was younger. Michelle was one of the people in that group. She and her family used to transport me and a few of my siblings to and from church when we were little. I was literally just a kid then, and I looked up to Michelle as a sort of older sister type figure. It has been more than 12 years since I last saw or spoke with Michelle or her family, so it was exciting to find out that she is now married with two kids and living a happy life. Needless to say, when she asked me to do a photo shoot with her son and daughter, I was thrilled to have the chance to see her again, and to meet her beautiful family.
Her son, Andrew, is just the handsomest little 8 year old! He is charmingly shy with a smoldering stare that is sure to make the ladies in his future melt like butter. Hadley is a charismatic 6 year old, who has the cutest toothless smile, and doesn't even have to try to find a cute pose for the camera because she is just naturally photogenic. I even got to meet their 5 month old horse...uh, I mean puppy. Maggie is the biggest 5 month old ANYTHING that I have ever met, and she is just so pretty. She even sat still for a shot or two with the kids.
This shoot was supposed to be just about the kids, but I made sure to let Michelle know that I was more than willing to do a family photo while we were out, but she assured me that she just wanted photos of the kids. As we were nearing the end of our shoot I made one last ditch effort to convince mom and dad to join in the fun because I think it is important to snag at least one image that includes the whole family, since in normal day to day life, there always seems to be someone missing in home photos. We are never guaranteed another day to find the perfect coordinating outfit, have a fantastic hair day, wait for that untimely pimple to fade, lose a few pounds, sleep away the dark circles under our eyes, etc. These are only some of the many reasons that some of my clients have given me for not wanting to be included in the photos I take for them, but I assure you that as time passes and memories fade, a photo of you with your babies will mean MUCH more to you than the memories of unwarranted insecurities.
I hope that you love all of your images Michelle, especially the family photo. You have a beautiful family, and I am so glad that you chose me to share this time with you all.
email: carrimullins@carribethphotography.com
