Putting…My money where my mouth is.

I’m just going to say it. There’s something that has often frustrated me about photographers—they don’t want to pay for photography.

Some do trades with other photographers, which is fine. Great even. I’m all about bartering when you can. Some try to take their own photos, whether that’s headshots, family portraits, or brand photos. Again, totally fine. But then there are the ones in most of my groups on Facebook that say, “My ideal clients can afford to spend way more than I can on photos.”

Wait a second. I don’t get that. At all. Yes, photos are a luxury item. But if we expect people to pay a certain amount, shouldn’t we also be willing to pay that amount? Even if our clients can pay it with ease and we can’t, shouldn’t we value what we are selling enough to save for it?

There are several arguments to be made one way or another. I’m not going to detail them here, though I’m sure some other photographers have strong opinions about this. But I do want to share my thoughts/process/reasoning for choosing the family photographer I did.

Obviously, my favorite photos are documentary. Real moments, real people, real life. But as a documentary family photographer, I know that it is very hard to fill a session (especially one that is many hours long) when a family only has one child. So though I plan on using documentary family photographers in the future, I wanted something a little different for this season.

After getting pregnant, I realized how UN-pretty I felt. My body changed (and continues to do so) so, so rapidly and in ways I didn’t know it actually could. I felt myself picking at things and hating parts of it. I personally don’t love maternity photos and never thought that I would do them. Then I found out I was having a little girl. And all of this negative self-talk was just NOT what I wanted while growing a lady. 

There’s always been one photographer here in Denver that does an incredible job with maternity, newborns, and breastfeeding sessions. She seems to understand the journey of motherhood better than most people I know and she captures it in a way that absolutely celebrates it. I felt about 17 steps behind celebratory since finding out I was pregnant. I needed this woman and her magic in my life.

So, meet Keziah from BabyRose Photography. She was exactly what I needed and I’m so thrilled we invested in her as a photographer. I felt really good about putting my money where my mouth is. I ask clients to pay for quality, and I felt good about paying for quality. She was able to make me feel comfortable on the other side of the lens (which I never, ever do). She took photos that I not only did not hate of myself, but that made me feel beautiful and strong and more than a little powerful.

For my maternity shoot, I knew I wanted to be alone and I wanted to feel beautiful. I love Travis, but pregnancy felt like a solo effort. And I wanted to have these images to show my daughter in case she ever does this one day. We decided to buy one of Keziah’s gorgeous albums of this shoot as a gift for EP. I hope she sees that even though I was scared and unsure, I was also strong and ready for her. Oh and also that I spent half of those 9 months in the bathtub.

I was blown away. I felt proud and instantly more sure of myself. Isn’t that amazing? That a photo session can give you so much power? That it can unleash a side of you, confidence in yourself, that you never had before? That in 20, 25, 30 years, my daughter might see herself in these images and find comfort?

We booked Keziah for the whole first year of EP’s life and I cannot wait to see how her images influence my personal motherhood journey. I’m only three months into this whole thing and motherhood has already changed pretty much everything about my life. Having my evolution in this role of “mother” documented means everything. It reminds me of what was and shows me what is. Having our first moments as a family documented is proof that we did it. I couldn’t imagine NOT investing in something so special and I’m more than willing to sacrifice some lattes and dinners out in order to afford it.