Why We Invest in Professional Family Photos

I’ve never been one to love having my photo taken. Sure, I got the yearly school photo and I have a few dance and swim team pictures laying around, but mostly I’ve been the one behind the camera. Even our wedding photos weren’t first priority for me.

That all changed when we found out that we were pregnant with our little guy. I knew that while I don’t particularly like being photographed (and neither does my husband), I wanted to preserve the memories of our growing family.

When I was a few month pregnant, I reached out to a photographer who also happened to be in our Life Group at church, Nicole Burchett of Burchett Photography. We had talked earlier about me redesigning her website, but it wasn’t the right time for her to make such a large investment. Now it seemed like the perfect time to arrange an exchange of services - I would design her website and she would create a photography package for us!

Ever since those first photos from our maternity session, I’ve loved getting professional photos every few months. It’s the perfect way to capture our family and I always know that they will turn out great (which is not always true when I’m trying to pull out my phone before Daniel stops doing something).

The other reason that I love professional photos is that most of the photos I have from our day-to-day life don’t actually include me. I’m the one taking the pictures, which means that I’m not in them. Pulling together a coordinating outfit and spending some time to actually put makeup has been so much fun for me!

Maternity Session

Our maternity session took place in March of 2019, about a month we expected Daniel to arrive. This is the only session that I’ve had professional hair and makeup done for (I can’t even imagine fitting that in now), but I wanted this session to feel special.

We met Nicole at Appomattox Manor and then went to a park on the James River for more photos in a second outfit.

Newborn Photos

Daniel was born on a Wednesday just 9 minutes after midnight and we were able to have his newborn photos taken on Saturday when he was just a few days old.

Our photographer had a studio in her home, so we were able to go there (after Daniel’s first pediatrician visit) and use her backdrops and accessories. It was really special to also get to include some of the traditional gold jewelry that is given to babies in Chinese culture.

Four Months Old

We had another session in our photographer’s home studio when Daniel was 4 months old. This was a chance to capture all the changes the last four months had brought.

I’m so glad we set this session up when we did because just a few days later, his “crazy hair” flattened out and hasn’t come back.

Six Month Photos

When Daniel was almost six months old (and before his first haircut), we did another session in a local pumpkin patch.

A friend made him a pumpkin hat, which worked perfectly for this session and we were able to capture his goofy personality as he was beginning to sit up on his own (he had been scooting around the floor since 4 1/2 months).

Fall 2019 Mini-Session

Jay and I have never sent out Christmas cards to anyone but close family, but our church does a Christmas Card basket every year so you don’t have to mail them.

I knew that I wanted an updated photo to feature, so we booked a mini-session with Nicole and styled it with Christmas colors.

These pictures are some of my favorites because they really capture Daniel’s personality (and his excitement over a windy day).

April 2020 Front Porch Session

The last session of our original plan was supposed to be Daniel’s first birthday, but COVID-19 happened and we were under a stay-at-home order. When Nicole started offering Front Porch sessions, we jumped on the chance to get some updated photos to commemorate this crazy time and capture our one-year-old kiddo.

I’m excited to continue working with Nicole for many family sessions to come. Having these photos and hanging them on our walls has been a huge blessing and well worth the investment.

If you’re in the Richmond are and in need of a photographer, be sure to check out Burchett Photography. I can’t recommend her highly enough!