Boulder, Colorado | Family Photos

Photographing another photographer’s family can be a little nerve-wracking.  There’s a strong desire to nail-it and be perfect and have images that are knock-your-socks-off good.  Of course, that element exists with every shoot, but it’s amplified when you’re working with a peer.  There’s some self doubt that trickles in, at least for me, and I go on this tangent of questioning myself… “What if even though I think I know what I’m doing, I really don’t know what I’m doing, and that becomes painfully obvious because this photographer knows what she’s doing and she can tell I don’t know!!?!?!”  This is a pretty accurate summary of my train of thought when I let myself freak out for a minute or two.  Haha.

But then I channel a more confident version of myself and realize what an HONOR it is and how totally super fantastic it is that this other photographer, a talented photographer with years of experience, has chosen me to capture her family.  It is such a compliment on so many levels because someone in my field, with an eye and an understanding and a true appreciation of what I do, respects and admires my work so much that they want ME to take their photos.  Whoa.  Cool.

I tend to get a little nervous before every shoot; I guess because I put a lot of pressure on myself and I know how big of a deal it is that people trust me with capturing a time in their lives that cannot be recreated or redone.  It means a lot to me and I don’t take it lightly.  More than anything, I want people to love the images I deliver and feel that I was able to help show the world what they already know about their family, their lives, their happiness, their love.   That’s a big part of my job and it’s a big responsibility – photographing and portraying what is truly special about people and the connection they have with the ones they love.  Yeah.  Kind of a big deal.

But then I show up, like I did to this shoot just south of Boulder, and I’m greeted by warm, kind, friendly people and we hug and we laugh and we spend some time taking photos and those nerves go away.  And I simply love what I get to do.

Stephanie and her family could not have been more lovely.  From their perfectly planned coordinating outfits, to their ease and laughter, to the obvious connection they had and the bond that they shared.  It also didn’t hurt that her kiddos were used to being in front of a camera and were so full of energy and spunk.  I felt like I was back in my Camp Counselor days, poking fun and telling jokes to 10 year olds just to make them laugh.  I love that this mom, a photographer her self, wanted to get in front of the camera and get photos with her kids that they will all cherish for years to come.  Photographing the Anders family while they were visiting from Florida was such an honor and such a gift, and this is the kind of session that reminds me why I chose this as my profession.

Stephanie loved her photos so much that she wrote a blog post about the importance of family photos!  I’d love it if you would check it out – just click here!

Interested in having your photos taken in Boulder?  You can see more of their parks and open spaces here.

Another favorite family session of mine can be seen in this blog post from last summer.