So many of us have been taught to press pause on life until we feel better about ourselves and our bodies. We live in a world that constantly tells us we need to “fix” ourselves before we’re worthy of being seen.
We tell ourselves, “I’ll book the session once I lose the weight.”
“I’ll get in the picture when I look less tired.”
“I’ll do it later, when I feel more like myself.”
But here’s the truth: when we keep waiting for the “right” moment, we often end up not doing it at all.
And what a shame that is.
A shame to miss out on being in the photos with your children.
A shame to sit out of the family swim because you didn’t feel confident wearing the bikini.
A shame to let your discomfort with how you feel about yourself stop you from making memories — or from being in the ones that are already happening.
If you ask me when the right time is to be in photos with your kids, my answer will always be:
The right time is now.
Even if you’re carrying extra weight…
Even if your hair isn’t done…
Even if you’re running on three hours of sleep…
Even if you feel like a mess most days…
Why?
Because your kids don’t see those things.
They see the way you hold them when they’re scared.
They see the look on your face when they make them laugh.
They see the love — and that’s what matters.
Your family photos aren’t about perfection. They’re about presence.
They’re a gift — not just for you, but for your children — a visual reminder of how deeply they were loved.
Years from now, they won’t wish you looked different in the photos. They’ll be grateful you were in them.
And honestly? So will you.
Because you deserve to be part of the story — not just the one taking the pictures or organising everyone else into the frame. I know this not just because I photograph families for a living, but because I’ve lived it myself during our own family photoshoot.
Ready to celebrate your family exactly as you are?
My own family photo session
When I had my own family photos taken — a photo exchange with Dutch documentary photographer Irma Arrowsmith — I almost hesitated too. (The photos she took are the ones in this blog post).
After two years of broken nights with my youngest, I felt exhausted. My white shirt was old and even torn. I carry extra weight that sometimes makes me feel self-conscious.
But the photos? They made me love myself more.
They reminded me of everything that matters and nothing that doesn’t. I would never have wanted to miss out on them. I love that it captures me breastfeeding, that my son stayed in his PJs all day, that I was not fully dressed when Irma arrived, that we did not have to pose or perform, but that we could all be ourselves. That’s what I absolutely love about documentary family photography. Doing my own family photo session deepened my love for the work I do, as I now understand even better, from my clients’ perspective, how important the photos I create really are.
My approach is completely documentary. I don’t pose or direct. I simply come alongside your real life as it is — and notice the beauty that’s already there.
And if self-doubt shows up in your business too — not just your family life — personal brand photography works in exactly the same way. The same hesitation, the same waiting to feel “ready” — and the same truth that the right time is always now.
If capturing connection, love, and real, ordinary moments matters more than waiting for a more “perfect” version of yourself — I’m here for it.
I’m a London-based documentary family photographer, working across the UK and the Netherlands. You can send me an email or book a free discovery call to talk through your ideas and questions. Let’s document your life as it really is — beautiful, honest, and absolutely worth remembering.
If this resonates and you’d like more on being present in your own photographs, I’ve also written about taking self-portraits
