The Anatomy Of A Family Photo

My friend Amanda is an expert photographer. She’s fabulous. Her photos are incredible. Pretty much every favorite picture I have of my kids is one she took.

So when I looked up a couple months ago and realized our last family pictures were in November of 2009, I kind of gasped a bit and hustled to send her a message asking her if she’d pretty please fit us in her busy schedule and snap some photos of us.

And THIS is what she got from us:

Beautiful, right? And get allll the way into my daughter’s “Top Model” pose in the bottom right. Basically, she said, “Tyra, are you watching? ‘Cause I’m about to WERK!”

But what you wouldn’t know from simply looking at the photo is all the anxiety I had before the photo shoot.

First, I was convinced I was about 15 pounds too heavy and I didn’t want to be photographed. But what’s a family photo without the mom? I finally told myself that I’m healthy, I’m here, and I will get in the darn photo because this is what I look like at this moment in time. My extra weight is “happy weight.” (Or, more accurately, “Oooh, y’all sell strawberry margarita cupcakes? I’ll take three” weight)

Then I was convinced that I had no clothes to wear. WHERE DID ALL MY CLOTHES GO? I picked out the kids’ outfits rather quickly, but my wardrobe has never recovered from pregnancy and childbirth all those years ago. I hereby tell anyone who’s listening that I would not mind a Stacy and Clinton-ambush. I could use $5,000 worth of new clothes.

Then I was convinced that none of us would look right together. I sucked it up and said, “Oh, well. Whatever.” But it turned out cute anyway.

THEN we got there (a local park) and the kids were bananas. Like, running around, super-hyper, giggly and crazy. Not exactly the “look at Ms. Amanda and SMILE!” type of moods.

But the mark of a good photographer is when they can go with the flow and create masterpieces out of whatever. I am LOVING our family photos and can’t wait to get a huge one for the living room wall!

So if you’re in Ohio and you want some family photos (or you’re getting married, or having a baby or any other special occasion), check my friend Amanda and her company, MC Life Portraits, out!