When I say that spring is in the air, I absolutely do mean it in the form of new life. Baby T was born and welcomed into his family last month and they are so so excited to have him home!
Our country turns 250 this year. I was in the middle of editing a gallery when that number actually stopped me.
I have four kids - 6, 11, 15, and 17. And I have spent years telling other families that childhood is fleeting, that these seasons pass before you`re ready, that photographs are one of the most meaningful ways you hold onto them.
I`ve said it hundreds of times.
And then I sat there and realized I needed to take my own advice.
So this summer, I`m photographing all four of my kids in what I`m calling Heirloom Portraits. Not elaborate. Not trendy. Just simple, timeless portraits that show exactly who they are right now, in the year America turned 250.
Because someday I want them to be able to show these to their own kids and say, `This is who I was that year.`
That thought made the decision easy.
I opened up a small number of spots for other families to do the same. Details are linked in my bio if this is something you`ve been quietly wanting.
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#TallahasseePhotographer #TallahasseeFamily #TallahasseeChildrensPhotographer #HeirloomPortraits #HeirloomPhotography #TimelessPortraits #ChildhoodUnplugged #PrintYourPhotos #ChildhoodPortraits #FamilyLegacy #MemoryKeeper #NorthFloridaPhotographer #FloridaFamilyPhotographer #DocumentYourDays #250thAmerica
A family vacation checklist as I understand it:
Pack sunscreen. Forget to pack enough sunscreen. Buy more sunscreen at the gas station.
Wrangle the toddler.
Realize the cousins haven`t all been in the same place since last summer and someone should really get some photos.
Spend three days saying `we should really get some photos.`
Go home. Look at seventeen slightly-blurry phone shots taken at dinner.
I`m not judging. I`m just saying there`s a better version of this story available to you, and it doesn`t require much more planning than you`re already doing.
A vacation session works exactly because everything is already set up. The people are there. The place is special. All you need is someone to actually capture it.
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#ForgottenCoast #30A #StTeresa #ForgottenCoastPhotographer #FamilyPhotographer #VacationSessionPhotographer #FamilyPhotography #BeachFamilyPhotos #GulfCoastPhotographer #FloridaBeachPhotographer #FamilyLegacy #PrintYourPhotos #MemoryKeeper #FamilySessionPhotographer #TravelingPhotographer
I drove to a beach session in the rain once.
The whole hour down, I was watching those clouds like they personally owed me something. The family only had a few days at the beach house - no rescheduling, no backup dates. We had an indoor plan ready just in case, but I was really hoping we wouldn`t need it.
And then, right as I was pulling in, the sky cleared.
Just like that.
We walked out onto the sand and the session unfolded the way the best ones do - easy, relaxed, full of real moments. That soft post-storm light hit everything just right.
I think about that drive a lot. The backup plan was real and we would have used it if we needed to. But the thing I keep coming back to is this: flexibility and a good attitude matter more than perfect conditions.
When families come in willing to roll with whatever happens, the photos almost always reflect that ease right back at them.
The clouds cleared. They almost always do.
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#ForgottenCoast #30A #StTeresa #ForgottenCoastPhotographer #FamilyPhotographer #VacationSessionPhotographer #FamilyPhotography #BeachFamilyPhotos #GulfCoastPhotographer #FloridaBeachPhotographer #FamilyLegacy #PrintYourPhotos #MemoryKeeper #FamilySessionPhotographer #TravelingPhotographer
This is the part I don`t think gets said enough:
You don`t have to have it all figured out before you reach out.
You don`t need to know exactly what your kids will wear, or whether everyone will cooperate, or whether the weather will behave. That`s my job to help with.
What you do need is the trip on the calendar and the people you love showing up.
I`ll handle the rest.
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#ForgottenCoast #30A #StTeresa #ForgottenCoastPhotographer #FamilyPhotographer #VacationSessionPhotographer #FamilyPhotography #BeachFamilyPhotos #GulfCoastPhotographer #FloridaBeachPhotographer #FamilyLegacy #PrintYourPhotos #MemoryKeeper #FamilySessionPhotographer #TravelingPhotographer
If you`ve been quietly thinking "I really need to get good photos of my kids" — this is your sign.
Not next year. Not when things slow down. This summer.
Our country turns 250 this year, and something about that number made me stop and think about legacy. About the portraits that get passed down. About the ones that make your grandchildren say, "Wow, look at who you were."
That`s exactly why I`m offering Heirloom Portraits this July — including for my own four kids. Simple. Timeless. Completely focused on who your child is right now.
July 12th spots are filling fast. If this is something you`ve been wanting, link in bio has everything you need.
Memberships and Affiliations
Sarah Gray creates timeless and joyful images that are designed for living room walls and photo albums. A tallahassee photographer, Sarah Gray also serves Thomasville, Crawfordville, St. Marks, Gainesville and throughout the Forgotten Coast and panhandle of north Florida and south Georgia.
email us | sarah@sarahgray.com
telephone (850) 321-0208
located in tallahassee, florida
