The Accidental Mother/Son Photo Shoot--That I Couldn't Love More

Photos by Dorsett Photography

In recent years, I've tried to make it a goal to have professional pictures taken of my kids (and, ideally, of my whole family) once a year. It's an expense, yes, but I'm a firm believer that great photos of your kids is an expense that you're never going to regret.

That said, to cut down on costs, I almost always do "mini sessions" for my family photo shoots. I've talked about mini shoots before, but basically, they are 20-ish-minute blocks of time where you quickly bang out a bunch of shots in a single location. (Photographers make it worth their while by scheduling several minis back to back, and will often reserve a few weekend mornings for this throughout the year.) 

Mini sessions are perfect, because 1) 20 minutes is pretty much the maximum amount of time my kids (and, honestly, my husband) can focus, 2) it's more than enough time to get a great holiday card photo, which is typically the number one thing I'm after, and 3) they tend to be much less expensive than a full, private shoot, so they are a relatively affordable way to have professional portraits taken.

This year, I reserved a mini session with one of my favorite local photographers, Ady Dorsett, so that I could get some cute portraits of my kids and a family shot for holiday cards. I nabbed a Saturday morning spot in September, told my husband when I booked it, and then reminded him a week before the shoot. At that point, he reminded me that my daughter had her first soccer game the morning of the shoot--at the exact same time. He didn't want her to miss it. She didn't want to miss it. I panicked.

The deposit I had paid was non-refundable, but Ady was really understanding. She was going to let me use the money towards a future session, but I quickly realized there were no other fall mini-session spots left that would work for us. I thought about just skipping it and losing the deposit, but then it hit me: Maybe I'd just do the shoot anyway...with just me and my son.

After all, when else would I make the time and expense to get some beautiful mother/son shots? The scheduling snafu had yielded a great opportunity, so I decided to do it. We'd worry about the Christmas cards later. And I'm so glad we did it! My son was a champ that morning--patient, cooperative, and smiley--and I love how the photos turned out. 

And they came at the perfect time, because truth be told, this has been a difficult year for my son and I. He's had some behavioral issues, which has caused a lot of stress, but he has made huge strides and has come such a long way. He's the sweetest kid, and I love him so, so much. 

So I don't have an official holiday-card photo this year, but these are truly even better. I am so happy that my scheduling "mistake" allowed us to have these beautiful photos that document this time in our lives--that show that, as tough a year as 2019 has been, my son and I have an incredible bond.

I couldn't love these photos--or him--more.