Capturing Unexpected Moments and Magic In Photography
How Unplanned Moments Turn into Beautiful Photographs
I always tell families to embrace the unexpected moments during their photography session. Especially when dealing with newborns, small children, and unpredictable weather changes, there really is a lot we can’t control. But if you are present and in the moment with your loved ones, all of that truly won’t matter! And your photographs will turn out better than you could have ever imagined.
While we do our best to plan around naptimes, mealtimes, and rainstorms, sometimes things happen. Kids skip naps, a random rain storm passes through, or newborns can’t be consoled (depsite our best efforts). I have never had a bad session because of any of these things. We adjust course and work around what is happening, and that is where the magic is found. And when you have this mentality, I promise all of the pieces will fall into place.
So, what makes a great photograph? For me, it’s genuine connection, it’s a beautiful landscape, and it’s feeling like your photographer was truly able to see you for who you authentically are. All of these things can still be captured when unexpected events may occur during a session.
Some of my favorite sessions have been when unexpected things have happened! We had a completely unpredicted rainstorm during shooting a few months back, which led to the most beautiful rainbow (which we captured on camera). For another, when the child felt the rain on his skin, a whole new side of him came out. He embraced the elements. Capturing that magic and wonder in camera led to some of my favorite captures from that session.
While we do our best to plan for perfection, it is a challenging thing to achieve! We do the best we can by planning out our day to give sessions the best chance of success. But once we meet, it is all out of our hands. So my best recommendation? Be present and embrace what happens! You will be so happy with all of the magical captures from the in between moments!