Have you heard of this before? I saw a friend share this as a way to gain perspective when something upsets her (like spilling milk in the back of her car) : “How will this affect me in 5 minutes? In 5 months? In 5 years?”
If you’ll remember it for all 3 then clearly, it’s not just a minor incident.
But, usually, most of us would say we wouldn’t remember these minor inconveniences after 5 minutes. By asking ourselves these questions and reflecting back on the incident, we are able to gain a better perspective and focus on the things that truly matter, versus giving a minor incident the power to derail our entire day. I’ve kindly dubbed this “the 5 year game” to remind myself to snap out of my tendency to let little inconveniences put a damper on an otherwise lovely day!

Naturally, I thought about this when it comes to photography.

What’s going to matter in 5 minutes? In 5 months? In 5 years?

Often I hear, “newborn photography is so expensive” and yes it is an investment. But do you know what I hear even more often?

“I wish I’d gotten maternity portraits done…”

“My biggest regret is not getting newborn portraits with my first…”

In my 5 years, I’ve NEVER had a client come back saying their session wasn’t worth it.

Money gets wasted on a lot of THINGS when it comes to babies…

$1200 for a stroller that lives in your trunk cause baby prefers to be worn
$700 for a crib that doesn’t convert into a toddler bed–and they never want to sleep in it
$300 for a special bouncer that mimics your womb environment–that baby hates and refuses to be in
$200 for a microfiber rocking chair that you’ll get rid of as soon as you are done breast feeding cause it’s covered in spit up
$150 for a diaper bag that ends up being totally unsuitable

But money is NEVER wasted when you’re preserving your memories.

I totally understand living on a budget which is why I am proud to offer payment plans to all of my clients. I’ve even had client families purchase albums and artwork or give gift cards to cover those costs. Newborn portraits are documenting your baby in this brief moment. In 5 months, they will look and act completely different.

Miss Hayden as a newborn and at 5 months

Every mama that comes in talks about how quickly their baby is changing. How they can hardly believe it’s the same baby! I’ve had moms tell me they would save their newborn album if the house was on fire and they could only choose one thing to take. I have yet to have a mama say they’d save their stroller or bouncer.

In 5 minutes, your baby will smile a sleepy smile and then head back to dreamland on your shoulder.
In 5 months, your baby will be trying to sit up and gain some independence .
In 5 years, your baby won’t be a baby anymore and you’ll be walking them into their first day of kindergarten.

What’s going to matter to you most in 5 years?