Have you ever booked a photo session while you were on vacation? As a photographer myself, it had never crossed my mind to hire a photographer while traveling because (surprise, surprise) I take a lot of photos. The problem is, I’m not in a ton of our vacation photos. When Amy got in touch with me and booked a session while her family was visiting San Francisco, I was of course excited to do this for them, but also a lightbulb went off in my head.

She said it was a tradition to take family photos while on vacation, and that she kept sets for both her daughters for when they would go off to college. I loved that she not only wanted to document this time together but that she was thinking about the future and already planning how she would pass these photos on. Now that three others have joined the family, the tradition has grown.

The idea of hiring out vacation photography really stuck with me and as a result I booked our own photographer for a session while we’re in Hawaii in January. I want my own child to remember that I was there while we go hiking and snorkeling, and spend time together on the beach. I will also make it a point to try to teach my husband to take better pictures before then so I can get in a few candid shots as well! It is definitely an investment to hire someone to take your photos, but life is an investment. My life is important to the people I love and I want there to be a physical reminder of that.

That being said, if you are reading this from some far away place and are planning to visit the San Francisco Bay Area, I’d love to photograph your family’s adventure. You could do a lifestyle session like Amy’s here, or we could do an Adventure session and really document a fun excursion. Either way, you’ll have fantastic memories of your time here. And who wouldn’t love that?