I love the beginning of “You’ve Got Mail” where Tom Hanks has a voice-over monologue about how much he loves New York in the fall and bouquets of newly sharpened pencils. Questionable morals of that movie aside (were they cheating or not?), the visual of a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils has really stuck with me, so much so that I can even smell them. Fresh pencils, fresh notebooks, new backpacks, fresh kicks - a new school year means a fresh start, and I’d argue that September is a better time to set new goals for your family than January. The excitement of a new school year, the sun is still hanging out longer, and thanks to RVA’s temperate climate, we can spend much more time outside in September than we can in January (or August, for that matter). Anyway, I won’t belabor the point: Now’s the time to set a new goal for your family. As we take more time at this time of year to notice that our kids are growing up - they don’t fit in last year’s pants (or shoes, shirts, underwear, socks…), and we start getting involved in new school activities and daily routines, now is a great reminder to document this year in your family’s life. 

But a big goal like “document my family this year” is overwhelming and nebulous, and not at all achievable. I’m here to break it down for you with three ways you can photographically document your family’s life this year. 

Take one spontaneous picture every day.

It’s easy when they’re tiny, right? We take so many pictures as they have their first yawn, first smile, first steps, and then when firsts become seconds and eventually old news, suddenly we can look back at our camera roll and realize how far back we have to scroll to get to a photo that we took of our kids that wasn’t part of a holiday or back to school photo. It’s hard to remember, so just put a daily reminder on your phone. Take a picture at breakfast, in the car, at drop off, as they get on or off the bus, at dinner, as they play or do homework after school, as they brush their teeth, get ready for bed, or kiss you goodnight. Use the self timer option (or the mirror in the bathroom) to get some photos of you involved in those activities. Just one spontaneous picture each day. 

Print your photos regularly.

I know I play this tune so often it sounds like a broken record, but I’ll play it again for those in the back: print your photos. Photos of your family don’t all belong on social media; especially if your kids are younger, they aren’t even seeing the photos if you don’t print them. Take 20 minutes each month to order 10-15 prints from an online print shop like Richmond Camera, and then share them with your family. Hang them on the fridge (classic), exchange the photos that are already in frames (recycling!), start a family corkboard with your favorite moments from the year and watch it fill up as the year goes by. Hang it where everyone in the family can see it on a daily basis, and watch your kids interact with the photos. Printing photos is an easy way to boost your kid’s self esteem, self-confidence, and self-assuredness about being part of something bigger than themselves. 

Hire a lifestyle family photographer.

It’s important to note that I’m talking about documenting real life, not fakey smiles in front of fakey backdrops in outfits you had to fight your kids to wear. A lifestyle photography session allows you to hang out with your family in a specific location, doing age-appropriate activities and allowing the professional to photograph you all together doing the things you’d do together anyway, with the bonus of including you in the photos with the rest of your family. Because dangit, you’re part of this family too, and you deserve to be photographed as a part of the family in more than just an odd-angled selfie or blurry attempt by a spouse (bless them for trying). You don’t need a big milestone to have professional photos made.

That’s it. Just three things to add to your calendar: one daily, one monthly, and one annually. Then watch as the memories pile up and your kids are suddenly talking about the good things I remember about last month, because they’re seeing them all in photos. Go mark your reminders now.