Mother's Day Portrait Sessions

Mother's Day is right around the corner. There is a lot for a Dad to do on this holiday. He has to think about his wife, the mother of his children, his own mother and something from the kids to their mother. sdfs

Dads, you might consider breakfast in bed, sending her off to brunch with her girl friends, or having the kids make her some painted pottery. Or, you might consider something different this year. (Mom, if you are the one reading this, just go right ahead and forward it to your husband.)

A common complaint among mothers is that they are never in the family pictures. As the one behind the camera in our family, I can relate. More often than not, Mom is the family photographer. It isn't a job she minds so much, but it would be nice for the kids to see their Mom in a photograph every once in a while. So, whether you are a mom or a dad, you might want to remedy this problem and schedule a Mother's Day portrait session. 

A portrait session is a perfect Mother's Day gift. It lasts much longer than flowers or even a coffee mug. There are lots of ways to arrange this. Dads can surprise Mom and schedule a "Mom and kids" portrait session. Or he can be there too, for a whole family session. Just make sure you give Mom enough notice to change into something cute. She'll appreciate that.

Or you, Mom, could take the initiative and set up a portrait session yourself. There is nothing wrong with stating exactly what you'd like for Mother's Day this year. Some husbands actually prefer to have things spelled out for them.

You might even consider hosting a Mom and kids portrait party and get some of your other Mom friends in on the fun. They are probably missing from a lot of family photos, too.

Whatever you decide, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can get your portrait session scheduled, or send out a gift certificate, before Mothers Day actually arrives.

Portrait Parties--A Word from our Hosts

Our portrait parties have been very popular since the day we started offering them. After holding these parties for many years, we thought it would be nice to hear from you, the hosts, that pull these parties together.

Our first host is Greta Eskridge. Greta has hosted 4 portrait parties and she shares with us why she keeps coming back for more.

I attended my first portrait party with Dodgen Photography 5 years ago. Not only did I come away with wonderful pictures of my family, I also decided I wanted to host a portrait party of my own.

It seemed like an easy thing to do, a fun way to introduce my family and friends to Jeremy's amazing photography and also, a really easy way to earn some credit towards purchasing more photos from the session.

I was right. It was all those things. But after hosting my fourth portrait party this year, I have found it to be much more.

I host my parties in the fall. (That way there is plenty of time to order pictures for Christmas.) We have used three different locations and in those four years, our family of three has grown to a family of five. Hosting the portrait parties has been a fantastic way to document our growing family, as well as the families that join us each year. I love looking through each family's portraits to see how every one has changed from year to year.
It has become more than a party. It has become a tradition.

If you are hesitant about scheduling your own party or being a hostess, let me put your mind at ease. Judy and Jeremy make it easy. Finding people to attend won't be hard either, once they see Jeremy's photos.

I look forward to working with Jeremy each year for my portrait party. The pictures he takes are some of our family's most treasured possessions. I am so glad I decided to host that very first party. I look forward to doing it for many years to come.

In addition to this post, Greta is going to be a contributor to the Dodgen Photography blog. Greta is a stay at home mom of 3 kids. She is pursuing a new found love of photography, and writes two blogs of her own, Lilly and the Brothers and Picnics in the Park. Look for more posts from Greta on photography news, book reviews, craft projects and more.

Happy Valentine's Day