To be upset over ruined photo shoot?

Pick the worst one of everyone with the biggest log of the day and frame it and put it in the downstairs loo or somewhere, you’ll laugh once you calm down!

I understand. I wouldn’t have spent money on photos because I know my DC wouldn’t have played ball when much younger at all but I know what it’s like when you just want a nice pic of them at least looking at the camera. You do look back and laugh when they’re older but I get it.

Yes, it was in a studio. A studio filled with sticks and giant logs. Honestly, RTFT.

OP, it seems shit now I totally get it. But imagine how funny and iconic a photo of you surrounded by red faced and tantrumming and grumpy kids will be in a few years time? It’ll be one of those things you remember forever

Ps ignore the people giving you shit for even doing a photo shoot. I’ve studied photography and I really love the photos we have had professionally done. The quality is so much better compared to a phone photo. It’s worth investing in, in my opinion. It’s fine if people don’t agree but don’t be judgey and say people are vain or whatever. There is a value in professional photos and supporting creativity.

OP, was it a sit-down, studio type setting? My recommendation for photo shoots with young kids is always go for photographers that do outdoor natural type settings. I can’t imagine the posed ones would ever turn out that well even with quietly sitting kids. My fave photo shoot ever was our second child newborn one with our eldest aged 4… we were in a park with the photographer running round after us and looked so natural. Just a thought for if you wanted to book another try some time.

It's absolutely no reflection on your skills as a mother. You're being too hard on yourself. Look at all the folk here who've experienced exactly the same thing - totally normal for young children to be high spirited or bashful when someone's trying to take a photo.

Please don't talk so negatively about yourself.

Kids are just awkward buggers haha.

I bet you're doing a great job, you're just upset and disappointed which is fine.

I hope you get a few that will be ok. I agree, I hardly have any with me and the kids, only if we do selfies, it is sad really.

Could you try again in a few months when the children may be more cooperative? I think groupon do offers.

I totally get what you are feeling and the misery guts that are saying it's weird that "these days" everything is about photoshoots are the same people that are visiting museums etc looking at photographs of x y and z people that were taken to document a moment in time. Photos have always been about and they are really special in documenting family memories. You'll have good shoots and bad shoots, don't let that put you off x

OP have you got a digital version? If so you could ask one of the many photoshop facebook groups to alter it. That does mean posting your kid’s image on social media which I know might not sit right . Or you could try yourself with AI… you could put separate shots of self and DS into same shot. Or take some nice selfies of both of you and manipulate images to look amazing. Kids have a knack of not living up to our expectations unfortunately. Mine hated winter wonderland, announced very loudly that a pantomime was “boring” and asked what time his birthday party guests were going home. YANBU to be gutted, I get that but you can retrieve this and get the shots you want!

Tomorrow is a still a blank canvas - wishing you a better day, OP.

Save up and get some done indoors less distraction more chance of them being usable i have some nice ones of me and mine indoors (ex husband not so much) outdoor shoots with young children especially ones who love sticks dont sound feasible for you right now

Well, I was feeling very sympathetic to you, OP, until I read that. What a snippy response to someone trying to be helpful.

That would be a yes then to TeaView's question

Ok I am out. I have been consistently kind and supportive with all my responses. I wish you all the best for Mother’s Day.

My parents have occasionally had a photoshoot for us over the years, and I'm glad they did, so YANBU to have one. I'm sorry you had such a difficult day

I would like to offer a suggestion to address your specific concern that your children won't have many photos with you in them, and selfies aren't for you. Most mobile phones these days have a sort of timer mode if you hold your hand up or say "SMILE!" or something. It's good for group shots when you want everybody to be in it. You could buy a cheap tripod for a phone (or just work out what you've got around that would prop it up) and have a mess about with this setting on your phone.

If it ever feels like a fun thing to do that isn't high pressure, you could buy (or make) occasion themed fabric photographer's backdrops (can attach to a wall if you have suitable one, or get a collapsible frame) and do family snaps with the selfie timer on the phone on a tripod. You could get a spring themed one for easter (bonus points for getting the family involved in making easter themed props to hold), a palm trees type backdrop for summer holidays, Halloween, Christmas etc etc. The only expense each time would be £10-£20 to buy a new themed backdrop, which you can either reuse the next year or sell second hand and have a different one every year. If you can make it a fun thing that everybody gets involved in making props for and has fun taking the actual photos, even if one occasion's turn out a bit shit there's another one in a few months time to look forward to.

I hope tomorrow goes better than you think it will xxx

I'm surprised at how many posters think you're being unreasonable. Whether or not it was a good idea to attempt a photo shoot with young children is a bit of a separate question - the point is that you'd organised something you thought would be special, you were looking forward to it, and it turned into a bit of a disaster. It's not surprising, or unreasonable, that you were upset. I totally get that. I hope you manage to find something nice to do to spoil yourself a bit this evening, even if it's just something small like a nice hot bath when the kids are in bed. There will be other fun things you can plan, hopefully things you can all enjoy, but for now, just be kind to yourself and salvage as much of the day as you can.