I have been having the same conversation with a lot of women lately. They reach out because they want to book a session, and they mean it. Then I hear it. “I want to, but I'm not ready yet.” “I want to, but I'd rather wait until November.” “I want to, but I'm overwhelmed trying to get everyone on the same page.” “I want to, but I'm not sure how my mom is feeling.” “I want to, but we have so much going on right now.” “I want to, but we're moving and I don't know what my walls will look like.” I understand every one of those, because I live it too. There's work, carpool, practice, a sick kid, a parent who needs a ride to the doctor, a calendar so full that even a fifteen minute phone call feels like one more thing. But I want to open up a conversation about something I see happen again and again, and it's something none of us plan for.
The schedule wins, and time slips by
None of us decide to let time pass us by. It happens quietly, one busy week at a time. We tell ourselves we'll book when things calm down, after the holidays, after the school year starts, after the house is finished. And then we look up and the moment we were waiting for is already gone.
“We meant to...”
I hear it all the time, and every version breaks my heart a little.
We meant to do a session while the kids had those gap toothed smiles. This sweet girl came in right in the middle of that season, and today every one of her grown up teeth has come in. That smile only existed for a few short months. One day her parents will miss it more than they can imagine right now, and how wonderful it is to be able to walk past it on the wall and remember exactly who she was at seven years old.
We meant to take family photos before the new baby arrived, and then suddenly there were two car seats in the back and no time to breathe. This family made the time. They came in just before their second baby was born so their little boy would always have portraits from the season when it was just the three of them. One day he'll look at this and see himself as the center of his parents' world, right before he became a big brother.
We meant to book senior portraits before our daughter left for college, and then it was already August, the car was packed, and she was on her way out the door.
And then there are the moms who don't wait. This mother and daughter came into the studio just before her daughter moved to another state to begin her doctorate. They knew the season of having her close was ending, so they made the time. Now, no matter how many miles are between them, they have this moment of the two of them together, wrapped up in each other exactly the way they are.
We meant to take portraits with Grandma and Grandpa, and we assumed there would always be time. This is my mom and dad, and it's the last official portrait I ever took of him. Not long after, my dad had a fall and broke his hip. He never walked the same again, and soon he was in a wheelchair. We lost him in 2023. This is the last portrait I have of my parents together, and today it's the most treasured thing my mom owns. I think about how easily we could have said “we'll do it next time,” and how there wouldn't have been a next time.
Even as a photographer, I'm guilty of waiting. This is my husband John, my boys, and my mother in law, who we call Grammy. She lives in another state, so the distance made it so easy to keep saying “next time.” Grampa passed away just four months before this photo was taken, and we never got him into the studio for a portrait of all of us together. After losing him, we planned ahead and put it on the calendar to get everyone into the studio. The whole session we kept saying how much we wished he was there with us. I would give anything to have one more portrait with him in it. I'm so grateful we stopped waiting and captured Grammy, surrounded by her son and the grandsons who adore her. Nobody is promised another year, and the people we love most won't always be able to stand in the picture with us. That's exactly why I tell every woman I talk to not to wait.
We meant to do something just for ourselves, and we kept putting ourselves last on the list. This beautiful woman was part of my Fab Over 40 project, and like nearly every woman who has ever walked into my studio, she came in picking herself apart. She had a list of things she wanted me to hide, and somewhere along the way she had stopped seeing what everyone else saw: an elegant, beautiful woman. That's what I want for you. Not to wait until life slows down, or until you feel ready, but to see yourself right now, in this season, the way the people who love you already do.
Today is the youngest they will ever be again
Here's the truth I keep coming back to. Today is the youngest your children will ever be again. Today is the healthiest and most present your parents may ever be again. Today is the only version of you that exists right now, in this season, at this stage of your life. We can never go back in time and take the picture we meant to take. We can only take it now.
That's why I believe with my whole heart that there's no perfect time to book a portrait session. There's only now, and now is enough.
You don't need to have it all figured out
I think a lot of women put off booking because they feel like they need to be ready first. The right outfits, the right hair day, the right amount of free time. You don't. That's my job.
My process starts with a conversation, not a to do list. We talk about who you are, who matters to you and what you want to hang on your walls years from now. From there I take care of the details: wardrobe guidance, posing, and every step of the session, with professional hair and makeup available if you'd like it. After your session you come back to the studio to see your images and choose the pieces that will live in your home. You show up, and I guide you through the rest.
Put love on your walls
Photos that live on a phone get buried under thousands of screenshots and grocery lists. Portraits that hang on your wall get seen every single day. Your kids walk past them on the way to school. Your parents see themselves honored in your home. You see yourself, strong and beautiful, in a season you'll never get back. That's what I create, finished wall art and heirloom albums that hold these moments for generations. And if you're about to move, please don't let that hold you back. A beautiful portrait fits on almost any wall in any home, and I'll help you choose pieces that will move with you and feel right wherever you land.
Let's start with one small step
I know your schedule is full. So I made the first step as easy as I could. You can book your Discovery Call online at whatever time works for you, no back and forth, no phone tag. It's a short, relaxed conversation where we talk about what you have in mind and whether now is the season to make it happen.
Because someday you'll look back on this exact moment in your life. I'd love for you to have something beautiful to look back on.
Plan your session: see our family photography sessions and women's portrait sessions in McAllen.