Cyndi’s Mommy & Me Session: When Was the Last Time Mom Was in the Picture?

Moms, I have a question for you: When was the last time you were actually in the picture with your kids? Not behind the camera. Not taking the picture. Not saying, “Okay, now let me get one of you guys.” Actually IN the picture.

That’s what I love about looking back at Cindy’s Mommy & Me session from May 2025. She came with all seven of her kids, and for 15 minutes, the whole point was to make sure Mom was in the photos too.

A Mother’s Day Session in My Own Backyard

This session was actually photographed at my house! I had set up a floral backdrop on my covered patio with a flash and reflector, and that became our little Mother’s Day portrait setup.

For Mother’s Day that year, I offered these short 15-minute sessions along with a bamboo photo ornament that could be given as a Mother’s Day gift. Cyndi was actually the one who took me up on it, and I’m so glad she did because this ended up being one of my favorite sessions from that setup.

And we did A LOT in those 15 minutes. Of course, we started with everyone together because when you have all seven kids in one place, we are getting that picture. 😂 Then I photographed Cyndi individually with each of her kids.

I love those individual photographs because every relationship looks a little different. Some of the kids hugged Mom, some got a kiss, and with the younger ones you get those little personalities coming through. It wasn’t anything complicated. It was simply Mom with each of her kids.

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And then, because Dad was there too, I couldn’t let him escape. 😂 We took a few portraits of Cyndi and her husband together and gave them their own little moment too.

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But This Wasn’t the First Time I Photographed Cindy (Intimate Civil Wedding Portraits)

One of the reasons this session is special to me is that I had actually photographed Cyndi and her husband earlier that same year for their civil wedding.

It was a very small and intimate wedding. I joined them at the courthouse and photographed the ceremony, along with some photographs outside with their children and witnesses. Then the following day, we met at a neighborhood park with a beautiful greenbelt and took more portraits of the two of them together.

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I don’t photograph a lot of weddings, but I really enjoyed this one because of how intimate it was. There wasn’t a huge production around it. It was simply about documenting them getting married and creating some beautiful portraits to remember it.

So getting to see Cyndi again a few months later, this time for Mother’s Day with all of her kids, was really fun.

Can We Talk About Their Outfits?

And I have to point this out because they nailed the outfits. Cyndi wore black, the kids wore white with jeans, and her husband also wore black. Against that floral backdrop—with all the pink roses, green leaves and different patterns happening—the simple clothing worked SO well.

This is a perfect example of something I always want families to think about when planning portraits: your outfits don’t only need to coordinate with each other. They also need to work with your background.

When you have a colorful background with a lot happening, sometimes simple is better. The black, white and denim gave the photographs contrast without competing with all those flowers. And look how much they pop!

Take the Picture With Your Kids

I haven’t photographed Cyndi and her family again since this session, although I still get to see little pieces of their lives through social media. And looking back at these photographs now, the kids already look so little!

That’s the crazy part. At the time, it’s just a Mother’s Day photo session. Fifteen minutes. Everybody piles into the car, comes over, we take the pictures and everybody goes home. But then a year passes. Then another. The kids get taller. Their faces change. Eventually they’re teenagers. Then adults.

And suddenly that quick little 15-minute Mother’s Day session isn’t so little anymore.

Maybe one day I’ll photograph this family again. Maybe it’ll be another family session. Maybe one of those girls will turn fifteen and I’ll get a call for a quinceañera. 😉 Who knows?

But for now, Cyndi has these photographs with all seven of her kids at exactly the ages they were in May 2025.

So Mom, I’ll ask you again: When was the last time you got in the picture?