I’ve often used a version of the Dog’s Trust mantra as a bit of a joke and said that a photographer is for life, not just for Christmas. Of course, it’s a tongue in cheek way to talk about it, but I’m also really honoured about how many of my families have me back for shoot after shoot, year after year. I feel there are a lot of benefits to booking the same photographer over the years which I’ll briefly discuss below.
There are so many families I could have used as an example for this post but none show as well the passage of time as this gorgeous crew!
When I first met this family, it was two parents and four grown up children with boyfriends/girlfriends.
Fast forward and I know have the pleasure of knowing two grandparents, the four children with four spouses and seven kids between them (and one more due)!
Why keep booking the same family photographer?
The main benefit of booking the same photographer is that, if you were happy the first-time round, you know what you are getting.
You understand the process on the day and what happens with your photos after your session.
Not only that but you don’t have that nervousness going into a session not knowing if you’ll feel comfortable around them or not – you already know you know, like and trust them!
From wedding to new baby shoot to preschooler photo shoot
Where I usually spend time at the beginning of a photoshoot doing a bit of getting to know you (especially when a family has alerted me to feeling shy, very camera adverse or having wary kids), if you already know me, then half the battle is won. We already know each other and it’s like seeing old friends again rather than meeting a new person. It’s catching up with a buddy rather than ‘getting to know you’.
The four siblings taken 8 years apart 🙂
Consistency of photos and products
It goes without saying that where the experience is the same, the photos also have more consistency if you book the same photographer for all of your family photo shoots.
That way if you want to have a wall gallery that shows your family over the year then your photos will sit together seamlessly rather than looking like they don’t fit together nicely.
From couple to expectant parents to the first day with their baby in the hospital!
A number of families I’ve photographed have also had me make yearly albums for them which now sit on shelves for them, all beautifully matching (in different colours or the same!) When you switch photographers frequently, we don’t all love the same products so you may not be able to track down what album, frame or prints your previous photographer offered. So, if this is something that’s important to you then it’s worth bearing in mind.
Before marriage, the wedding, with their first daughter and welcoming their second baby 🙂
Making your photographer happy 😉
Well, I can only speak for myself here of course, but one of the greatest joys of my ‘job’ is that I absolutely love feeling like I’m a tiny part of your family for a little sliver of time.
Nothing brings me greater joy than seeing your baby go from chubby little arms and legs to babbling toddler to galloping pre-schooler to hearing how their first term in Reception went.
When I get to see you at your wedding embarking on a life together and then am invited back to meet your family when you’ve added a child and a dog; I don’t look at that as a job, I view that as a massive honour. Because I know how much it means to be invited back into your world for that moment of time.
Parents of four to grandparents of four (and counting!)
And I absolutely love how many wedding couples have become family clients. How many family clients have started small businesses and had me photograph those too. I adore how many stories I’ve been able to weave through and tell for people.
It’s that continuity that makes me love my families so deeply and feel like I’m part of their stories and, I hope, be able to tell their stories for them even better.
If you’d like to chat about how I can tell the story of your family let’s chat about it. Some of the photos I’ve taken for other families can be seen on the St Albans family photography gallery so check that out!
