I’ve been a photographer for a long time now… and at 63 years old with three kids and five grandkids, I can tell you something with complete certainty:

Kids don’t just grow — they change.

It happens slowly while you’re in it, and then all at once when you look back.

One year they’re missing a front tooth, the next they’ve got a whole new smile. One year they’re holding your hand, the next they’re running ahead of you. The little things — the expressions, the personality, the way they look at you — those are the things that change the most, and they’re the easiest to forget.

That’s why I believe so strongly in photographing kids at least once a year.

Not for the perfect outfit.
Not for the perfect pose.
But to capture who they are right now.

I see it all the time — families come in “just this once,” and a few years later they come back and we look at those older images together. That’s when it really hits. Not just how much the kids have grown… but how much has changed.

And once that year is gone, you don’t get it back.

As a grandparent, and a stroke survivor, those photos mean even more to me now. I look at them differently. I’m not just seeing a picture — I’m remembering a stage, a voice, a personality that’s already moved on to something new.

That’s the value.

It’s not about today.
It’s about five years from now… ten years from now… when those images become something you’re truly grateful you didn’t skip.

So if there’s one piece of advice I can give — from both a photographer and a papa — it’s this:

Don’t skip a year.

You likely have hundreds of photos on your phone — quick moments, everyday life. But the memories of planning, getting ready, and sharing a professional photo session with your child… that’s something different. That experience adds meaning that lasts just as long as the images do.