My "Why?" | Natural Family Photography in Geelong, Torquay & The Bellarine

Here's an embarrassing tidbit - every time I create a slideshow for my client's viewing session, I tear up! Yep it's not even my family - but the combination of seeing these happy, smiling kids being cuddled, tickled and loved by their parents is enough to set me off.

If I've happened to have recently read one of those facebook articles doing the rounds about how amazing parenting is, then I'm usually balling like a baby by the end of it!

To back track a little though (so I don't sound too crazy), running a business is full on.  There are always a million things to do and improve on, and so I've taken a few courses here and there in order to focus on the business side of it all.

And in every course, they ask you - "Why?".

Why do you want to do what you do?  Because it is a lot of work, a lot of hours and you won't make a lot of money without sweating some blood.    So work out your 'why?".

So as simple as this is, I thought I would tell you guys what my "Why?" is.

I know, that when a family is at a session, they are vulnerable.  They are standing in front of a stranger saying "here, here is how much I love my family, here is how I show it, you capture it".

It's an unusual situation, when else in life does that ever happen?

And this is where being right for the job and having the right intentions, comes in.   Too strong a personality and you can force a family into acting unnatural, posed and self conscious.  Not confident enough and they will not have enough direction to bring out the best in them.  Not enough technical skill and experience and you won't be able to capture it properly at all.

I've learned that every single family and child is different and will react differently.  As easy as it is to capture open and affectionate and outgoing families, it is just as important to capture the reserved or shy.

Ultimately,  my "Why?" is because  I genuinely believe that family - whether that's your child, partner or dog (or cat!) - is the most important thing in our lives.   I also know that it doesn't really last forever - kids will grow up and create their own families and this time of school pick ups, being called mummy and daddy,  uneaten dinners and cranky toddlers is eventually just going to be a memory.

If I get to capture and one day trigger these memories with my job, then I think that's a pretty good reason why.

What about your why?  What made you pull the trigger on booking a professional shoot?