This blog is a personal one! Alex and I recently surprised my family with a visit. We found good flights that happened to land on the date my parents were going to celebrate their 39th anniversary. They were surprised and we had a great time! Spending time with them means more to me now that I live in Puerto Rico. A few days into our visit my mom says, “I want you to take pictures of us, of your dad and I.” I said “OF COURSE.” Then a couple more days into our stay, that session of just my parents turned into a little extended family session. We simply had to take advantage of being together and plan a last minute family session.

What should we wear?

Having a photographer brain, I thought, “I didn’t plan or pack the clothes I’d like to wear for pictures.” I think my mom knew what I was thinking because she told me, “We don’t have to worry about what we wear. I just want pictures. Don’t stress about what we’re wearing.” So that’s what we did, and I’m so happy we did!

I want to encourage you, if you happen to be in a similar situation, where there isn’t enough time to coordinate outfits or to make sure everyone looks “perfect” to not worry about it. Take the pictures anyways! Especially if its an extended family session because who knows the next time everyones schedule will line up. We all have a piece of clothing or two that we like and feel comfortable in, wear that.

How you Feel matters.

The truth is, if you like the way you feel in the clothing you’re wearing, you’ll like the way you look in the pictures and that’s important. I recently had another family session and one of the family members wasn’t sure what sweater to wear. One sweater she felt coordinated better with everyone else’s outfits but she didn’t like the way she looked in it. She liked the way she looked in the other sweater that she thought didn’t coordinate perfectly. So she asks me, “Which should I wear?” I told her, “Wear what you like and feel comfortable in, because if you wear what you don’t like, you’re not going to like the way you look in the photos.”

All this to say friends, schedule extended family portraits when you see the opportunity. Even if it’s last minute, you won’t regret it.

Happy 39th Mom and Dad. Love you and miss you family. I can’t wait for the next time!

Here’s a little throwback of us 6 years ago.

Check out my Uncle and Aunt’s mini session here in Puerto Rico.