Let me tell you something I’ve really been feeling lately: this year went by in a blur. Like… a blink. One moment it was January, and suddenly we’re here, wondering how 11 months disappeared without asking for permission.
And maybe it’s not just me. Maybe you feel it too. Maybe you’re also wondering how your kids grew when you were just trying to keep up… or how your parents seem a little softer this year… or how long it’s been since all of you stood together in one frame, at the same time, in the same season of life.
It hits me every year-end: the days feel long, but the years? They’re unbelievably short.
And I don’t want us to wake up one day wishing we had kept more of these little moments.
When We Think We Have More Time Than We Do
I catch myself saying it all the time:
“I’ll book the photoshoot soon.”
“I’ll do it when things slow down.”
“I’ll plan it when everyone’s free.”
And if we’re honest… that “soon” never really comes, does it? Recently my mother-in-law was admitted to the hospital due to a brain injury and she’s been bedridden since. I tried looking for the last family photo we took together when everyone was around and I realized that photo was taken almost 2 years ago during Chinese New Year.
Life doesn’t slow down. Kids don’t stop growing while we breathe. Parents don’t pause their aging. And as we are trying so hard to balance everything, we don’t always realize a moment is becoming a memory until it’s already behind us.
I don’t say this to make you feel guilty. I say it because I’ve felt it too. We think we have more time than we do. We think our loved ones will always look, sound, and move the same way they do now. But time has this quiet way of changing things when we’re not paying attention.
And that’s why I’m writing this — for you and for me. Because I don’t want either of us to miss the version of our family we have right now.
Why Year-End Photos Hit Different
There’s something about this season that makes everything feel a little more real. We slow down. We’re a little more reflective. A little more sentimental. A little more aware of the people who make our lives feel like home.
Maybe it’s the holidays. Maybe it’s the slower nights. Maybe it’s just that invisible shift that happens when the year is about to end. That is why year end photos hit differently. They don’t just capture what your family looks like — they capture who you were this year. The energy. The connection. The inside jokes. The chaos. The quiet love you might take for granted because you’re living it daily.
And trust me on this: the future us is going to want that. Not the perfect outfits or the camera-ready hair, but the real expressions, the real hugs, the real “this is us right now” kind of moments.
The Things We Don’t Want to Forget
When people talk about what they miss, it’s never the big events. It’s always the tiny things we didn’t realise were disappearing:
The way our child still runs into our arms. The way our parents still call our name with that familiar softness. The way grandparents laugh — that specific laugh that you can recognize even from another room. The way our homes look before they change or before we leave them.
These little things? They become some of the biggest treasures later. And taking photos now is how we hold onto them long after time moves on.
You Don’t Need “Perfect.” You Just Need Now
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably thought: “I need to lose a little weight before the photos.” “I want to wait until my kid’s hair grows.” or “I want the house to look nicer.”
But here’s the truth between us: Our loved ones don’t care about any of that. They care that we’re in the photos with them. They care that we showed up. They care that we wanted to remember this chapter together. I still remember one of the Chinese New Year during the COVID-19 season, all of us were in frame together with our masks on. Even though half of our faces were covered, it serves as a reminder that we went through that season together and came out of it stronger.
Let’s Not Wait Another Year
I’m telling you as a friend: Let’s not let another year slip by without freezing the things we’ll miss most. Not the achievements or the milestones. But the people. The hugs. The laughter. The closeness. The version of your family that exists right now, in this irreplaceable moment in time.
The years are short — painfully short. But the memories we choose to keep? Those can stay with us for decades. For generations. For as long as someone opens an album and smiles. So before the year ends, let’s do something our future selves will thank us for. Let’s freeze the love we’re living today.
📸 Book your year-end family session.
For you, for us, for the memories we can’t afford to lose.
Each year, we strive to be better than yesterday—not just in the photos we take but in the connections we build. At Stories, excellence isn’t just about quality; it’s about creating an experience that feels warm, personal, and meaningful. However, developing personal connections can be challenging as our number of clients grow. In 2024, we photographed 274 personal events and portrait sessions, and the year hasn’t even ended yet. This is a milestone we are so proud of!
