All photos are done by the amazing and fantastic Myrna of Myrna Loy Photography

With the constant growth and evolving world of mobile photography, the question of professional photographers’ value is always brought up. Is it still worth it? My iPhone/Samsung/Pixel/Huawei can take amazing photos, do I need a photographer? And a host of other questions if we really need a professional photographer in this day and age of cameras getting tinier and smarter.

I work in this field so my answer is always going to be: heckin’ yes.

I spend money every year to get our photos professionally taken. Since 2016, Dave and I have been getting our photos taken by Myrna. Since 2016, it’s always so fun to see how we have evolved in front of the camera. Our photo sessions are always set a month before November just so I have photos to use when our anniversary comes (lol!) But the root of it all is I love taking photos with Dave and sometimes I feel like all I have are just him and selfies in my phone, which are fine but the professional photos we receive back are my favorite ones.

I’ve had some people have asked me why I spend so much money on sessions because:

1. I can totally break out the tripod and take self-portraits,

   • but that’s so much work (I only do this when we’re traveling lol).

2. I can settle with hundreds of our selfies,

   • but our selfies are usually the same poses.

3. This is our career, why hire someone else when we have the skills,

   • but, again, that’s so much work (we did it before and it was stressful getting the focus right lol).

Honestly, the beauty of hiring another professional? I’m not stressed and I get the experience of being on the other side of the camera when I’ve spent majority of the time being behind it. When you book a professional, the experience of a photoshoot is exhilarating and amazing! Myrna assisted with location choices, sent me ideas for clothing, she directed us and handled all the framing all within the hour of our session.

When you give your trust to the professional, you are much more relaxed for your session. I’ve trusted Myrna 100% and our galleries always come out perfect. All my dream shots and poses captured by a professional with, I can’t emphasize this enough, a short amount of time and less sweating!!

One tip I always tell people is to find your photographer by looking at their galleries. Do not get shy to ask about it and see if their style fits what you have envisioned. Take your budget into account but always, always look at the galleries of the photographers you scout. Myrna lined up with my taste because she loves hair in the face, laughter and prompts. Dresden, is another photographer I shoot with, shoots my headshots because we click as friends and understands my weird posing with my limbs.

I love looking through photos and I love taking them. I love looking at our photos after we travel because it takes me back to the country we were in. I love the stories photos can tell you by looking at it. Besides taking beautiful photos, professional photographers spend a lot of time figuring out what locations fit based on a clients’ vision and figuring out how to pose/prompt everyone in the session. As a professional photographer, I am constantly evolving and learning how to get better in my craft.

If you’re a parent, how many times are you in a photo with your kids? If you’re a spouse, how many photos of the both of you are in (not including selfies)? If you’re a child, how many times have you wished you had more photos with your siblings/parents? Then I think it’s time you book that session with a professional photographer!

And I’m not trying to make an ad for 21 Pixels about this but I’m emphasizing how important it is to take time and money to spend on the luxury of a photosession. Photos are priceless and yes, we have our iPhones/Samsung/Huawei/Pixel phones but photosessions with the right photographer will make you realize the magic photographers bring to the table.

I understand that photography can get expensive, which is why I view it as a luxury. And you don’t have to get photos done every year but once a in a blue moon is something you should consider. Photos from our phones can suffice some people and that’s ok! But I’m speaking to those who are on the fence on splurging on photos and the ones who question why in the world of mobile photography a professional photographer is still valid and needed if it’s not a wedding or a special occasion.

You don’t need an excuse to book a session. I spend money on sessions because I want to and it’s something Dave and I have made a tradition out of.

For couples, photosessions can be another way to re-ignite the love. Photosessions can make you forget the craziness of life and it’s just you and the photographer. The silly prompts that get you both laughing and kissin lots can help with lowering stress. Photosessions for couples is like a scheduled date night with a photographer snapping away before dinner - get dressed up or dressed casually then eat out after an hour of laughing, kissing and being silly in love.

That’s what Dave and I do after every session… We eat out and gush about each other.

I can sit here and write more reasons but it all boils down to this: having your photos taken professionally is stress-free and fun. You have priceless photos of you with the people you love having a blast celebrating love and happiness. These photos represent you at your most happy state. It’s absolutely fun to look back at photographs on the screen, on prints, on a coffee book, on the wall, etc. Post it online or print them, these photographs will be cherished for years to come.

Here’s a difference between just selfies and our recent session with Myrna:

SELFIES

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS

There’s a certain magic when a professional photographer takes photos and when they have full control of a session with how to prompt you to pose.

Anyway, I’ll shut up now. I just wanted to share the photos from our recent session with Myrna and also tie-in why it’s important that people take photos every now and then. You don’t need to be as extra as me doing it every year, I just want to but also because Myrna is leaving next year so I took advantage of her time on Guam.

Thanks for reading! <3