07/06/2026
For those who may have missed my story on my 4th of July post, I thought I would create a separate post to share the behind-the-scenes details of how that photo came together🇺🇸
The bike we used for that photo was my childhood bike, which was perfect for the shot due to its vintage (rusty) appearance, which was the aesthetic I was aiming for.
The coke bottle my husband has had since we started dating over nine years ago. I’m not sure where he got it, but it worked out perfectly for this photo. I am so glad he kept it all these years!
The flag in the background was purchased years ago for a different photo shoot. To incorporate it into this photo, we taped it with clear packaging tape, as we did not want to damage the flag, to our shed.
Yes I know; so glamorous 😂
If I am being honest, I really dropped the ball this year by not offering 4th of July mini sessions, considering it was a significant year. Sometimes life gets busy and consumes you, and that is exactly what happened, hence why I put this together last minute, because at the end of the day, I still wanted these memories of my daughter.
I think most photographers, including myself, put a lot of pressure on making every photo picture perfect, which is not realistic. Social media often portrays everything as picture perfect, but that is not real life.
Sometimes when I take photos, i have a hard time trying not to nitpick them apart, but then I realize that they are perfect in their own way. So even though my daughter is not holding the flag upright, I do think this photo turned out perfect - Her smile is genuine as she was SO excited to hold the coke and flag haha!
Plus, let’s be real when working with toddlers, you cannot ask for much, they can be unpredictable haha shortly after this photo was taken, she was over it!
You just have to roll with the punches. Again, that’s just life.
With social media and AI being popular it is hard to tell what is real and what is not anymore which puts a damper on photographers abilities and talents.
Just know that over here on my page, I will ALWAYS keep it raw, real and authentic🫶🏻
- Lindsey
(Raw unedited photo straight from my camera)