I love that this family’s Snuggle Sessions are becoming a yearly tradition!
Held during that cold Winter month of January, Snuggle Sessions are perfect for fun and cuddly photos in my warm and cozy studio. Our Winters are long in Ottawa so it’s wonderful to take a break from the cold and come into the brightness and warmth of my studio for fun and beautiful photos at a time of year that you just want to hibernate.
The backdrop of the studio bed set was ideal for capturing the cuddles and tickles between mom and her cuties as well as for beautiful nursing photos of mama with her youngest. As moms we’re often the ones behind the camera capturing our family’s memories so I always think it’s amazing when mom books a session for her and her children. It’s important to exist in photos with your children!
I may be ‘just’ a photographer but it doesn’t ever feel that all I do is take pictures. Parents trust me with their brand new babies. Families trust me with their stories of loss and heart ache. Women trust me with their vulnerabilies and insecurities about being in front of the camera. I lose sleep worrying about the weather, preparing to do my best at every session I walk into, and making sure that I’m giving 100% to my clients every single day. But sometimes when I’m trying to be the best photographer Sara I can be and the best mom Sara I can be and the best wife Sara I can be, I don’t feel particularly ‘super’.
The day of our session was a typical Saturday for our family. Housework, hungry kids, figuring out which kid was going where while I had sessions; trying to get the studio and waiting area ready and clear of all our snow gear. Making plans for the afternoon and lunch and ‘what are we going to do tomorrow?’. And I was admittedly feeling a little bit frazzled until I heard giggling little voices in the front hallway and I went to greet my first clients. They were SO excited to unveil their gift to me, which they made themselves. And they insisted that I get in a photo with them to show off our amazing capes. That moment with them: this is why I love what I do. Not because of the photos I take or getting to be my own boss but because of the people my work have brought into my life.
And I certainly don’t feel like Super Sara every single moment of every single day but I think like a lot of women I hold myself to an impossible standard and am my own worst enemy. So I am going to wear my cape proudly to remind myself that my passion for everything I do and every role I have means I am super, even when I don’t feel like I am.
If you’ve taken the time to read this, thank you, because now I have a small favour to ask. I promise you don’t have to make a cape (although frankly we should ALL have capes) but I’m going to ask that you take a few minutes today to send a card or a message or a small gesture to someone in your life that you appreciate and let them know how much they mean to you. January is cold and dark and it’s a tough time of year for a lot of people: we could all use a little more warmth, love and kindness in our lives
