From chaos to forever: how Daisy became our go-to photographer
Client guest post! This story speaks for itself, no preamble needed. Internet, meet the amazing Keira!
“I know someone!” I say this a lot. I love connecting people, and connecting with people. And most of the time, I do that by sharing stories from my own personal experiences.
When it comes to professional photography, our family hasn’t always had the best of experiences…until we met Daisy. That first photo session with Daisy has kept us coming back for more, and every time, the experience gets better.
Here’s where I’m coming from…
In 2013, we had a wedding photographer who was a horrible communicator. Being the people we are, we gave her the benefit of the doubt, but she accidentally deleted our engagement photos and didn’t tell us until after our wedding. We walked away from the whole experience with one small photo book, and one photo printed through Shutterfly.
Five years later, we attempted family photos with a new photographer. That experience wasn’t much better, but for different reasons. Our reserved daughter cried and protested all the photos and we had just 30 minutes of the photographer’s time. It was STRESSFUL.
Enter June 2020… the height of COVID.
We are getting ready to have our second baby girl. We knew there would be no newborn photographer in the hospital, so we really liked the idea of a photography session at home to document how we’d done life together for the past 4 months. I knew Daisy and her husband from undergrad and ran into her a couple times in Columbus. She’s always been down to earth, fun, and big hearted. So with comfort at the top of the list, booking with Daisy was a no brainer.
We had our lifestyle newborn session in July 2020. If you haven’t worked with Daisy yet, her newborn sessions are more hands-off, which was great from a safety/comfort perspective but also fit in well with our family dynamic. Even so, our 3 year old daughter is on the more reserved side. She cried for about 20 minutes, then avoided pictures for another 20 minutes, but Daisy was so chill during that time and reassured us that everything was normal as she captured photos of mommy, daddy, and new baby together.
We visited, ate jellybeans together, and my 3 year old eventually eased into the session. Daisy’s camera is silent, which reduced distractions and made everyone even more comfortable. She gave really good directions and suggestions, which we definitely needed, but she also did a great job at capturing the moments of our family just being ourselves. She’s a good listener, making sure to talk with us beforehand and understanding our reservations and also hopes surrounding the session to strike a balance that was right for us. Daisy spent most of the morning with us, making sure that she got everything she needed before packing up.
You will have more than enough great photos to choose from (but plan on wanting them ALL).
We have sooooo many favorite photos from that first session, the majority of which were not “planned.” Like one in a rocking chair with clothes on the ground because our 3 year old decided to pull them out of her drawers mid-session and then requested we read a book boobie trapped with sorry cards falling out – if you have a toddler, you know the spiel. Then our 3 year old found a box with packing peanuts and threw them everywhere. Who would ever plan a spontaneous packing peanut picture, right? But then, this is real life, and it’s the story of OUR life. Daisy captured these chaotic moments in a way that was so beautiful. It’s the most perfect time capsule that we will cherish forever.
We had two more full sessions with Daisy in 2021 (spring and summer/fall), because babies grow so quickly! And another one in late summer/fall of 2022. No exaggeration, each session has been better than the one before. The experience feels very comfortable, no pressure, the results each time are unique from the time before and equally amazing.
At this point, the sessions are pure fun for our family.
…and that’s saying something since we are quirky introverts. Daisy can adapt to your energy which is nice. We’ve been the slowwwww family and the go-go-go family too, and she hasn’t missed a beat. She will skip to a beat with you though!
Daisy really helps out with everything from start to finish. It’s wonderful to hand over the wheel and simply embrace life leading up to, during, and after the session. Daisy helped us with outfits, locations, watched the weather, timeline of the day, and even designed the final photo albums for us. She’s great at checking in and sending timely reminders. All the things we busy parents need help with!
Creating memories together as a family and looking back on them is hands down our favorite thing to do. We love hanging pictures on the walls, and equally love looking back through our photo albums from each session. I am always trying to bottle up slices of time - Daisy has a photojournalistic/documentary touch that feels alive. All the sudden you’re transported back in time, holding a 10 month old, walking at the water’s edge, with your quiet 4 year old and her dilophosaurus, exploring nature, the temperature drops, and then big sister wants to be held too. Five months later and the baby is walking, interacting and making faces and big sis warms up! Next thing you know, your daughters are 5 and 2 and have a sister bond full of laughter, popsicles, scooters, and swinging. I will never forget the feeling of these memories, and now we have them to share forever.
I cannot thank Daisy enough for telling our family’s story so beautifully. So yeah, you need a photographer? “I know someone!” And she’s more than a photographer, she’s a storyteller.
P.S. have fun with the “what’s your family’s theme song?” on her questionnaire! We’ve had a different song each time and the evolution is priceless… and you might just have a dance party.
Hi there. Thanks for stopping by! I’m Daisy, owner of Daisy Zimmer Photography, a Columbus photographer specializing in fun photo experiences that families actually look forward to each year. I hope you loved From chaos to forever: how Daisy became our go-to photographer, and if you are interested in talking with me more about a lifestyle family photo session, let’s connect. Not quite ready, but wanna keep me in your back pocket? No problem! Follow me on Instagram and let’s be friends!
Daisy Zimmer (she/her) is an award winning and highly rated Columbus Ohio photographer. She offers in-home and outdoor lifestyle photography in her relaxed and uplifting style. Her clients love that in addition to digital files, they also get artwork to display in their homes. She is in the Top 15 Best Family Photographers in Columbus, Ohio for 2022 and 2023 on Expertise.com and is featured in the July ‘22 issue of Voyage Ohio Magazine.
