This year I’ve discovered that one of my absolute favorite things to do is to meet up and photograph another mom who loves taking photos as much as I do. Like, really loves having fun with it. Loves to play dress up in different outfits and create different ‘scenes’ together. It’s truly the ultimate adult play date! (or at least this is my version of it)

I discovered this after coaching other pro photographers and often hearing them say directly or indirectly, “Suzy I just don’t really love my work. How do I fall in love with what I’m doing in my photography and my business?”

As I coached others how to work through this, I realized that I had actually fallen out of love with my work in the last few years also! After weeks of journaling and asking myself, what do I really love about photography? What feels super fun to me right now? If I were just creating for myself and set up something that felt really enjoyable and playful, what would that be? All of that time with myself writing in the pages of my journal, I came up with this idea of having the ultimate adult photo play date. Envisioning the idea of having a morning where I hang out with another mom and play dress up and take pictures, I instantly thought of my friend Sara Covey. So I made plans to go hang out with her and her family so we could play around and experiment to really bring this vision to life.

When I went through the images after our time together, something that surprised me most was how much I loved the portraits we took on a pink backdrop I brought with me. I don’t typically do portraits and if I’m being honest, I’ve always viewed ‘portraits’ like this as sterile and without feeling vs lifestyle photos.

This is not true of course and simply an inaccurate belief I once held… but I think this is important to consider because it’s a common belief amongst those of us photographers who do lifestyle work. We want our work to feel honest and perhaps when we set up a photo in a very intentional way on a backdrop or in a studio, we believe it can’t be as ‘real’ as something that is simply unfolding in front of us that we didn’t create.

After looking through these photos and reflecting on these things, I’ve started to ask myself, what needs to happen in order for a photo to feel real and honest? Is it the content of the image? Is it the moment that happened and whether we set it up or not? Or is it simply whether or not there was a real and true connection between the subject and the picture taker? Maybe all of these are ingredients that, together or separately, can create a photograph that makes you feel something.

Anyway, here are some more of my favorite images from the shoot. I hope they make you as happy as I felt taking them xo

If you’re interested in having a photo session for your family that feels like a photo play date, don’t be shy! Click HERE to connect with me and make a time to zoom chat. I would love to meet you and brainstorm some ideas for how to make this kind of experience extra special and meaningful for you and your family.

If you liked this shoot you should also click HERE to check out a recent pregnancy photoshoot I had with a similar fun, editorial vibe to it. Or if you’re interested in creating this kind of photoshoot for you and your family, click HERE to send me a note. I would looooove to create the ultimate adult play date with you and some amazing artwork for your family.