The night before a session I always get really nervous. It’s kind of like that night-before-the-first-day-of-school feeling you had when you were a kid. The feeling of excitement mixed with pure terror and panic. I know this may come as a surprise because, after all, I’m the professional, right?
This is what I do.
This is what I breathe.
This is what I love.
This is what I live for.
But alas, it never fails. The day leading up to a session always includes moments of feeling like I’m going to puke combined with a deer in the headlights look on my face and the search for a brown paper bag to hyperventilate in to. My brain gets a little out of control and I start to worry how everything will play out. What if the sun is too high? What if the sun is too low? What if the clouds roll in and there is no sun? What if the family runs late? What if the family doesn’t show up? What if the kids are completely out of control? What if all my tricks fail me and I don’t get a single smile the entire session? What if the parents think I’m lame? What if I forget how to pose my clients for that great shot that doesn’t look posed at all? What if my finger accidentally pushes a button on my camera and I go home and realize all of my photos are pitch black? What if I forget my memory cards? What if I shoot the entire session without my memory card actually in my camera? And cue the hyperventilating. After discussing this phenomenon with several other photographer friends, I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re all going to need therapy at some point in life.
My husband drove me to a session a few weeks ago and I know for a fact he thought I was losing my mind. I get really quiet when I head out to a session location. After all, I need time to channel my inner Eminem and envision myself in a hoodie staring at myself in the mirror. “My palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy … you only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime.”
Then I quickly come back to reality and remember I’m a mom to two (almost three) small children and we live in suburbia and I’m not in fact a rapper.
You can only imagine my excitement a few weeks ago when I had the opportunity to experience what it’s like being on the other side of the lens. We had our own family photoshoot with two very talented photographer friends of mine. Although, I do confess there were still a few “brown paper bag” moments leading up to our session, it was a lot of fun and I LOVE how our photos turned out. Here are a few of my favorites:
All images copyright Amy Gray Photography and Melanie Monroe Photography
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