If I could share just seven thoughts about your family film with you—not only practical things I want you to know as your videographer but also important things I want you to tuck away in your heart—they would be these:

1. Real is better than perfect.

At no point in history have we been so inundated by other families’ versions of beautiful. Your REAL is more beautiful to me than your idea of perfection. If your real looks like kids with crazy hair in outfits they chose and a house less-than-IG-worthy, I will celebrate it. I come with no expectations or illusions of an “ideal client” (I hate that phrase with a passion of a thousand suns). I come with only an open heart and an attentive camera ready for you to write your story on.

2. Video is more relaxed than photos.

Your husband will tell you so…I know because they tell me so. My sessions lead off with portraits, but once those are out of the way, it’s all fun and games. You might feel “on” for the first 20 minutes, but as you press into your moments as a family, that will melt away.

3. Photos are important to me too.

I was a family photographer for nine years before offering films. It’s what most informs the way I see and how I shoot video. I refuse to compromise one for the other. Your film comes with a full gallery because I never stopped loving still images or valuing their unique purpose. See an example of the portraits taken during a mini-film session here!

4. Your family loves you just as you are.

I’m guilty of postponing photo sessions until I lose a few sneaky pounds and feel good about myself. I forget I’m wholly loved just as I am. The memories I’m preserving are for my children, who offer me more unconditional love than I sometimes offer myself.

5. Your home is the location you’ll wish you chose.

I love shooting at the beach or a pretty meadow but will always try to steer you home for at least one session. Think of the memories in your walls and the stories your home tells. One day you may no longer live there, and I want to capture what a today “feels” like for your family so they can revel in those memories tomorrow.

6. Your kids aren’t getting younger.

I know the days feel long raising your littles, mama. Here’s the thing. Time has a funny way of speeding up. As my oldest entered high school this year, the minutes started to pound faster than ever. Some days it’s deafening. Ask me how much I wish I was a filmmaker when my girls were little, and I might fall apart on you.

7. This film isn’t just for you.

It’s for your kids, too. We didn’t have a camcorder when I was little. I’ve never seen myself move, talk, laugh, or run as a child. I’ve never seen my mom or dad play with me or the way they smiled at me as I goofed off. Our kids have scores of tiny video clips to watch when they’re grown, but those clips don’t include YOU, and those clips don’t tell a STORY. You’re giving your child a day from their childhood…a day defined by your love for them…a day they’ll never remember…

…until they hit play.