Why are photos important? | Our couple "selfies"

Selfies.

Sometimes awkward,

Sometimes confidence builders,

Sometimes just what you need.

The only photos my husband and I have together are the goofy car selfies we take together and family photos that are now outdated. As an advocate for family photos "shame on me!", right? Well last week we took a moment to set the camera up on the tripod and turn on the timer. The first few were so so so awkward. Like awkwardfamilyphotos.com awkward. LOL. But after a few shots we started to just have fun. Be ourselves. We forgot the camera was there. Out of it came the cheesiest but cutest couple pictures I've taken with my husband.

So why take the time for couple photos?

1 - They are time machines. One day when we are old and wrinkly our adult kids will be looking through photos and maybe stop at these. They'll look at them and hopefully say "Look at mom and dad! You guys look so in love". Then James and I will see these and reminisce being in our 20s, being new home owners, and the joys (and pains) of having two small children.

2 - Because these photos give me the "feels". One of the number one things people try to grab when they have to evacuate their homes are their photos. When service members leave for deployment, they bring laminated photos or copy a bunch onto a hard drive for their computer. Not because we forget what our loved ones look like, but because when we see their faces it makes us feel. Feel the love we have, feel the moment those photos were taken.

3 - These are my trophies. Ever stop to take a photo of those beautiful purple and pink sunsets? Do you proudly showcase a diploma or certificate somewhere in your home? A part of my greatest successes in life are my family and taking photos is how I celebrate them. Birthdays, holidays, we take photos to commemorate these times in our life because these are the people who matter most.

Being intimate in front of the camera can be intimidating but just like when I shoot my clients, I told myself "just ignore the camera". Shout out to my husband who goes along with all of this and knows how important photos are to me. I would say both him and I are 100% more comfortable behind the camera but I know I'll thank myself one day. *pats back*