Moms, Please Get in the Picture

Originally written in 2011 | Updated in 2025

A few years ago, a family friend called to purchase a gift certificate for a portrait session. What began as a simple conversation turned into something far more meaningful — one that changed the way I see photography, and the way I see myself in it.

It was just after Mother’s Day. She shared how hard that week had been, scrolling through Facebook and seeing friends post photos with their moms. Her own mother had passed away, and she wanted so badly to find a photo to share — something joyful, something everyday. But her mom had always waved the camera away. Maybe her hair wasn’t done, or she didn’t feel like being photographed. And now, my friend was left wishing for just one image of the two of them together. Hugging. Laughing. Smiling. Any moment at all.

As she spoke, I thought about my own family. I’ve taken countless photos of my children with my husband, but I’m often behind the camera. I’ve skipped being in the frame because I wasn’t wearing makeup, or I hadn’t done my hair, or I wanted to lose weight. But our children don’t care about any of that. They just want to see us — with them. Present. Loving. Real.

We think we’re taking photos for ourselves, for grandparents, for social media. But truly, we’re creating something for our children to hold onto. Years from now, they’ll want to see how we looked at them. How we laughed with them. How we showed up.

That conversation changed me. It changed my business. I shifted from photographing just children to photographing families — encouraging parents to be in the frame, to be part of the story. Over the years, I’ve created hundreds of family portraits that now hang in homes across New Jersey, New York and now Charlotte, NC and beyond. They live above fireplaces, down hallways, and in the quiet corners where love gathers. These images aren’t just photographs — they’re reminders of connection, of presence, of joy. And this has become my why. It’s why I do what I do, and why I love it so deeply.

So please, hand over the camera. Jump in. Hug your kids. Be in the photo. Because in their eyes, you always look beautiful. And someday, that image might mean more to them than you’ll ever know.