Grand Little Place

Maybe it’s me but I’ve always thought that Mothers and Fathers Day are hard days to gift for.  I mean how do you gift appreciation for giving life?!  I’ve definitely struggled as a daughter in my gifting for these holidays (sorry parents).  I have been a stay at home mom for the past 10 years and a few years ago I realized what I really wanted more than anything else, were simply pictures that reflected my experience of motherhood.  One thing that I have found to be sadly true, is the inequity of  photos of my sons with me vs my sons and my husband.  Of course there are plenty of photos of my cute-as-a-button sons interacting with a seemingly unwashed hobo (aka:  me)  but let’s face it, those are never going to be included in a wedding rehearsal slideshow someday.  They are not going to be framed or set as a photo wallpaper.  That’s why a few years ago I realized the best mothers day gift idea – photos.  My husband is a talented photographer and has been doing camera photography since high school so I asked him for one thing – photos of me and my boys.  I didn’t ask for a ‘photo shoot’.  I wanted to spend the day at home in our PJ’s doing all the fun parts of our normal life and I wanted pictures of that.  I bought myself a new pair of pajamas that I wouldn’t mind being photographed in, did minimal at home makeup and made sure my kids were washed and not  plastered in character pajamas.  Here are a few of the images he captured that day:

This was THE BEST Mother’s day gift I have ever received.  Admittedly we have a leg up because I have been a professional photographer since 2010, so we do have access to gear (we didn’t use lighting, just the camera).  Chris also has experience in this field.  However this shoot could be done on a cell phone.  If your goal isn’t to enlarge the photos to anything bigger than an 8 x 10 you’re fine and as all mom’s know ANY good photo of you and your kids is better than none at all.  I already said that I didn’t do a lot of prep for this shoot other than the very loose pajama coordinating – this is 100% a shoot anyone could do.  The first photos Chris gave me for Mother’s Day were in 2018.  Last year, which was an especially hard year with the quarantine and all of life’s ups and downs, he gifted me another Mother’s Day shoot.  This one was a bit more elaborate.

Being a #boymom is AWESOME.  It’s not for the faint of heart but you will hardly be without a cause to laugh!  It would be a whole other post if I wrote about the boy mom life and the things I’ve experienced and learned.  One thing is 100% certain tho – boys not only get the shaft when it comes to clothing, apparel and accessory choices but being a boy mom means that there aren’t a lot options for the ‘mini me’ matching situation.  If I was a girl mom I think I would be one of those moms who embraced that – as a kid wouldn’t that feel SO FUN?!  WELL my youngest son and I found ourselves in an unexpected matching situation when he was gifted a sweatshirt that arrived in the wrong size.  When I went to return it the retailer told me to keep the wrong size and they sent him the correct one.  The wrong size was a boys size large, which was too big for my older son but happened to fit me.  My son thought it was hilarious to see me wearing a shark sweatshirt and I realized I had happened upon a #boymom loophole.

Fast forward to Mothers Day 2020 and Chris gifted me my 2nd Mothers Day photoshoot – and a gift certificate for 3 matching shirts 🙂  He suggested we wait until fall for the fall leaves for a change of pace.  I am so glad because having that photo shoot was something I was able to look forward to in 2020 and the final result was nothing short of amazing.  Here are some of my 2020 mother/son matching photoshoot:

 

I honestly don’t have words for what these images mean to me.  Chris knocked it out of the park  and I am forever grateful to him doing this and for what they represent.

I am writing this post for 2 reasons:

1. I love these pictures and I absolutely want to share them 🙂
2. ALL moms should have pictures like this with their kids.

So here’s what you should do now:

• Moms:  Send this blog to your husbands and STOP READING right here.  🙂
• Dads:  Your wife loves her kids like crazy, you know this and so do they.  If you’ve been sent this blog then these instructions are for you 🙂  You can 100% do this for your wife.  You don’t need to be a photographer or own a camera, it’s awesome if you do but if you don’t use your phone.  ANY photos are better than none!  I’ve done you one more solid too.  I’ve created printable photo session gift certificates just for you to give to your wife.  You print, fill in the details and give to her on Mothers Day. The rest is up to you!  I have faith you can do this!  Trust me, she’ll love you forever for this one!
  • Lastly here are a few photography tips  for a beginner mother’s day photoshoot:
    • Always find the light.   If shooting inside situate yourself next to a window.  Lighting is half of the battle when it comes to photography.  Avoid using your built in flash – that’s not going to be flattering for anyone.  If it’s possible to be outside shoot what you can outdoors.  Don’t be in harsh overhead sunlight or under trees with dappled shade with uneven shadowing on everyone’s face.  Morning/evening light is best but if you’re outside mid-day look for places with solid shade.  Your light will still be good and even but you won’t have weird shadows to compete with.
    • Avoid shooting ‘up’.  This is rarely a good angle and the mom in your life WILL NOT appreciate her double chin or skewed view of herself.  (Even if your wife doesn’t have a double chin, she will if you shoot up at her.  Avoid the disappointment and fight by just avoiding the angle altogether.)
    • Eye level and down shots are the best angles to shoot.
    • Don’t pose every picture.  You’ll have the best luck by arranging activities for mom/kids to do together.  Board games, books, going on a walk, playing on a swingset, cooking, etc will provide entertainment and natural interaction.  Don’t bet on your kids ‘performing’ by overly posing them.  Capture what comes naturally.
    • Allow mom time to get ready and look her best.  Ask her what ideas she has for the shoot and come up with a plan together.

To get your free Mothers Day printable gift certificates click the button below and subscribe to the Grand Little Place email list.  I am not a big emailer so no worries about an overload of spam!  You will receive a confirmation email with a link to my freebie page where you can access your gift certificate of choice along with ALL of my other follower freebies!  Click below to get on the list!