Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Welcome to the ninth podcast! I hope you don’t mind we took last week off, but we’re back for another amazing podcast about Memory Keeping. We’ve talked about so much of the foundational elements of memory keeping already-- first we covered figuring out your why, then gave you the first few steps for getting started, we talked about our favorite apps that help with memory keeping, and even got down into the nitty gritty of backing up your data. Our last couple episodes were all about creating routines and catching up on past memories you haven’t documented yet. And most of these topics have been about things that you need to do to document your memories--but sometimes you don’t have to have all of the burden and pressure of doing these tasks yourself. This is when you hire professionals!
We are professional ourselves.
Katie-- I’m a professional wedding and family photographer in Logansport, In but travel all over Indiana and beyond. My goal is to be a couples wedding photographer and turn into their family photographer. For families, I capture everything from maternity, newborn, milestone, family photos, and seniors.
Danyell-- I do professional photography and videography as a team with my husband for our business LVP Studios. We document couples and families mostly doing weddings, family sessions, milestone sessions with little ones and more.
We’re not making this podcast to convince you to book with us or line our own pockets, but to genuinely give you important information about why hiring a professional to document certain moments and memories is so important. We’ve seen first hand why professional photographers and videographers are so important and the memories that they can capture are different than when you try to do them yourselves.
Photo & video is so different!
I do want to jump in here and also say that while we are talking about photo and video professionals today there is a distinct difference between the two. Obviously your final product is different, but also the moments captured are captured so different with different recall of emotions and feelings.
While I know that photos are a must, there are certain things that photos just can’t capture the same way that videos can. The posed shots, beautiful still moments, and glimpses of emotion are perfectly captured by a good photographer. But your movement, words, actual laughter or rolling tears, all of these things can’t be captured with photos.
1. So you’re more likely to be in your own images
Like we mentioned in Episode 005- Being in your own photos/videos
Previously we gave you steps for how to get yourself in front of the camera and be in your own photos, and one of those tips was to hire a professional.
Sometimes having a professional to document your memories is just easier!
Not only that, but your photographer/videographer can capture the connection between your and your family. So often I have moments with my girls of me snuggling with them or them just looking at me and touching my cheek and saying i love you. Or whispering secrets and giggling together. These are all moments you can have with your children and have them captured! As a mom, that makes me so happy because I want to hold onto those moments forever!
2. They have the experience and expertise
Professional equipment
Investing thousands of dollars into courses, equipment and training to perfect their craft and give an incredible experience.
Final editing skills
Can remove flyaway hairs, blemishes, and can even head swap! (explain)
They help your through the entire process of your session
From your vision, to planning your location and outfits, to the actual session and then helping you choose what to do with your photos.
They also know how to pose clients
To make then look and feel good and all the tips and tricks to get your kids to open up, be themselves and show their real smiles and not the “fake” smiles.
3. You never know when the last chance to capture memories with your family may be.
A sweet photographer friend of mine posted about a session that she did with a family whose husband passed away shortly after. Her story of their love, their family, and his passing brought tears to my eyes as I scrolled through the image gallery online and thought about all of the important people in my own life who had gone too soon as well.
Katie too has a similar experience. A few years ago there was a family at my church that the mom had found out she had cancer. She was a younger mom and had two young kids, one child about 6 and another baby under 1 year old. I felt God telling me to offer a free session to them so I did. So many people that knew them just thought she would pull through and become cancer free. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and she passed about 6 months after their family session. To this day I’m still so glad I took family photos for them. I even made a family album for them and the father was so grateful and thankful that his kids would grow up and have this special moments with their mama in them.
Sometimes you never know what’s going to happen in life. You never know when your family dynamic may change. So, it’s important to document the moments while you can. Get pictures taken every single year! Lift up the joys you have in every moment you can. And never take for granted the family that you have because you never know when the last chance for a family photo may be.
4. Personality, Unique Characteristics, Voice:
Photo and video capture personality, unique characteristics and can capture details you don’t normally think about. For example, a child’s curls, freckles, tiny hands, eye color, missing teeth, etc. These types of details show a child’s age as well as all the things most mama’s absolutely love and want to remember forever.
Video also captures voices, and special and adorable things your child does, says that photo can’t sometimes.
5. To capture everyday moments as something special.
Lifestyle Photographer
If you don’t know what a lifestyle/documentary photographer is:
Lifestyle: Planned activities, capturing those moments unfolding
Documentary: Fly on the wall, no instruction
6. You can relive missed moments
When you have a professional there capturing the moments then you can be busy living them. Hiring a photographer or videographer means that they’re the ones running around snapping pics and you don’t have to be. Then when you get your photos or videos back you’ll be able to relive all of those moments--the ones you were in and the ones you were not.
If you’re on the fence about hiring a photographer or videographer, remember this: You may regret not hiring a professional, but you will never regret making that decision to have your day memorialized in a with good quality photo or video that you and your family will cherish forever.
7. Professionals can create family heirlooms
Albums and prints and final movies
These can be a family heirloom which can be passed down to your children and grandchildren. Imagine in your old age showing your albums or video to your great grandkids—how they’ll ooh and ahh at the old technology and different trends of your time. Different family members will be able to see themselves again in your pages of your album. When you pass, it will become an heirloom that your family will share and cherish and relive exactly as someone does when they open a 100 year old time capsule.
This goes back to how my love for memory keeping started actually! Flipping through old photo albums when I was younger. Imagine your children, grand-children and great grandchildren doing this! Can you imagine the stories and connections that come come through these moments!?
And that leads us perfectly into our topic for next week!! We want to talk more about printing out your memories in professional and purposeful ways--and you know who’s a real expert in that category? Our very own Katie. I’ll be doing an In Depth Interview w/ Katie next week so you can get to know our very own podcast host here and she can talk more about what she’s good at like albums & prints!
