Stepping in Front of the Camera...

I conquered my ultimate fear...

Yes, I booked a photographer to take pictures of my family, with me in them!  This was huge for several reasons.

1. I like to be in control and do things myself (yep, still pretty much a toddler at heart).  I had notions of getting a remote shutter release and I've scoured Amazon reviews trying to find the best but I never found one that seemed to be perfect.  And I wasn't sure that I could trust another photographer to capture the image of my family that I knew I wanted to capture in my head.

2. I (like many of us out there) live on a budget.  I hear you all who say that professional photography is expensive.  I can understand the appeal of running into the department store studio but I've been there.  It isn't really that much cheaper.  And I've seen the options that are out there.  I follow lots of photographers and there are some really amazing people, capturing and creating amazing images.  I couldn't even consider going into a dept. store studio setting for the frantic 15-30 minutes.  I've learned that these images are an investment that I really really want to make.

3.  I absolutely hate having my picture taken.  I am not the person who can naturally look beautiful in front of the camera.  It takes work.  I've taken self portraits to practice and it doesn't seem to help.  I try different expressions and look weird or awkward.  I can't even pull off funny and goofy in a cute way.  There are a handful of images that I've felt good about- my senior pics and my wedding pics.

But despite these hurdles, I really wanted an updated family picture to hang in our new(ish) house and so when the amazing Jen McKen announced an opportunity for mini-sessions, I jumped.  Seriously, I think I almost immediately sent a message after reading her post.  This was perfect for us.  A relaxed family session out at a park.  That is us. 

So I've been following Jen on FB for awhile (maybe just a little harmless stalking).  I found out about her when she took a stand last year against bullying. I read that blog post and saw that she was from near where I grew up, had great values, and was an amazing photographer... of course, I wanted to be her friend :-)

And outside the internet world, she's just as great a person!

We met up at Keystone State Park (a little park near my mom's house).  We brought a blanket, some books and a game of Chinese Checkers.  Then Jen just let us do our thing and she clicked away.  The kids had so much fun and I was having so much fun with them that I didn't have time to feel awkward or self conscious.

And Jen captured some great images.

Go here and see them!

Thanks Jen!