Grandma Wants Pictures for Mothers Day

“I hate coming home to an empty, silent house,” a client told me recently.

There’s no life, no laughter and no love ringing through the halls.

“It too quiet now. I’m not having to pick up after them and cooking for just Charlie and me is easy, but it breaks my heart to feel alone and so old without all their pent-up energy keeping things lively.

Really, I even miss the kids fighting and arguing about the silly stuff,” she laughed,“…. but don’t you ever tell any of them”.

Grandma Sarah echoes what we have been hearing for the last several years.

The kids do an ok job staying in touch with a text or snapshot. But it is seldom something meaningful and thought out.

A tiny grab shot on the cell phone that is hard to see with the bright sunlight and dark shadows.

Yet another selfie with crossed eyes and fishy lips.

Sometimes Grandparents get lucky with real photo prints. School pictures probably… and they somehow have not gotten any better in the last 50 years!

“Even when money was a little tight we did regular pictures with one of the old local studios.An annual family portrait for sure around Christmas time and when the kids hit milestone birthdays we almost always did a special shoot.”

She paused for a moment and scanned across the displays of canvas high school senior, family and children’s wall portraits around the studio.

“I’ll never forgive myself for missing Debi’s fourth birthday photoshoot. We just got back from Disneyland. We had taken lots of fun pictures of the kids together with Mickey and Minnie while wearing those goofy mouse ears. Then we got distracted and didn’t take the time to capture that magical age when everything is possible for a little girl. She KNOWS she is a princess and Daddy and Mommy are still the smartest people in the universe.”

“It’s funny,” she continued, “the first child gets photos made at the drop of a hat. The second child has fewer sessions during the year. The third child… not so much. It’s like that funny TV commercial with the over protective new mom. Looking back, I am so sorry we missed too many of the important days. There is absolutely no way to go back and capture the moment. Worse yet, there were a couple stretches of time we thought we were too busy and stopped doing the annual family portrait. Now it is impossible to remember their journey, how they grew and changed and how the family relationship matured.”

Grandma S and Pappa Charlie now have three grandkiddos to call their own.The “Irish Twins” Megan and Samantha and the little guy Jon who will surely have a hurricane or tornado named after him.

“I don’t want my kids to make the same mistake I made. They need real portraits in their home of all the important moments. There is no reason to feel frustrated and guilty like I am when it can be done so easily and is such a good experience for the kids.

Plus, every time I walk down my hallway I could be enjoying my grandkids’ photos on my wall. And of course, when friends come over for coffee I want the biggest and best brag wall.

I know everyone thinks their grandkids are the smartest and prettiest and most wonderful… and I am so happy they feel that way… even though theirs really are second best”, she said with a sly wink.

Grandma Wants Pictures

While family portraits are made all year long it really depends on when you can gather your gang, There are three main seasons when most families get together for a photoshoot.

Thanksgiving/Christmas is still the #1 family portrait opportunity.

The fall colors are wonderful for outdoor sessions if the weather is good and if not the studio can handle groups of 50 or more with our special panorama techniques. We stay open the week after Christmas just to handle all the family sessions with kids home from college and all the soldiers on military leave.

In second place is the early summer sessions for graduation family portraits and vacation family reunions.

Since we have photographed over 10,000 high school seniors over the years we see lots of sessions made before the new graduate heads off to college or has finished a degree. The perfect way to end graduation week is with a new portrait marking this exciting time in your student’s life. Also we see lots of family reunions here in Redding and on the coast around Eureka. Whether we shoot in the studio, at your home, in one of the area parks, or travel for a sunset beach session you will get a priceless memory captured and to be shared for generations to come.

Next, and coming up soon is during the Mothers’ Day weekend.

People will drive or fly in for a few days to spend time with good old Mom. The Mothers Day Brunch is a family tradition on Sunday but the Saturday and week before you can make time for a great new portrait of the entire family. Local photoshoots are still only $49 for the entire session. We are happy to photograph the entire group then break it down into just the kids, siblings and any other combination that will make your house a home with loving images.

Yes, pets are always welcome and we do a surprising number of families with their passion projects like restored cars, with their ski or sailboats and even on the tennis courts or golf course!

Grandma wants pictures for Mothers Day so call TA Schmidt Photography for a free clothing and location consultation at (530) 945-3693.