As a professional photographer, you'd think that I have oceans of pictures of my family. But as I was putting together our yearly photo books last December, I realized that was not the case. Yes, I had lots of photo sessions of my kids, but I didn't have snapshots or images of our regular lives.

Around the same time, a photographer I follow and admire, Lyndsay Stradtner, of Life in Motion Photography, posted that she would be doing a photo a day of her family for a year. It wasn't the first time I'd heard of a project like this, but I wouldn't usually give it a second thought, since follow-through isn't always my strong point. The thought of the book of memories I'd have at the end of the year is what swayed me. What a gift for my children to have an entire year in photos! What a gift for me!

So that's what I'm doing. A photo a day for a year. I'm allowing myself plenty of grace to get through this. The photos won't be perfect. They'll likely include lots of bed head, dishes in the sink, clutter on the tables, and crusty faces. But they'll be real and full of love. They'll be the moments I would have forgotten a few years down the road if I hadn't done this. And if seeing my imperfect photos of our real lives inspires you to take more photos of your family, all the better!