There are two things I am just as guilty of as all of you. 1) I have
TWO DSLR cameras. TWO! And what are most of the pictures of my kids taken with? My cell phone. Because it is always right there, in the diaper bag, in my back pocket, sitting on the counter. 2) Worrying more about the setting, what they are wearing, what we are doing, than I am about capturing the moment as it happens.
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A personal favorite "in the moment" and cell phone picture
of my kids and the world's cutest nephew. |
To fix number one, I've started leaving my camera bag on my desk, camera ready to shoot and easily accessible. All I have to do is walk in and pick it up! I haven't quite worked out keeping it with me, mostly because I am still carrying so much baby stuff and a baby! But it will get there. I have quite a few nice cell phone pictures of my kids, I've printed bunches of them. And I would definitely rather have those than nothing at all. But having real pictures of my kids, high quality not a snap shot pictures, is invaluable. I am lucky enough to be able to do that myself, but don't put it off because you can't do it yourself. Not only is it great to have a beautiful picture to show off to your family and friends, but by hiring a photographer, they will capture things that you can't. Like you in the picture. Yes, I have to have someone do this for me too. And a true professional will get pictures of you and your family that make you see things you may not have seen, the details in a moment that were captured when you were lost in it.
Here is an example of a cell phone picture and a picture with, as my kids call it, my real camera. These were taken about 30 seconds apart as I was writing this paragraph. I dragged him off the couch and away from cartoons. I tried to have him not move, but he is 10 and can't stand still! The difference is HUGE. Honestly bigger than I thought it would be! But I can do more with my camera in terms of settings, more in how I hold it without making the picture blurry and more with what works for him! There is a big difference between a snapshot and a photograph.
Issue number 2. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. But a few days ago, Eli was playing in the kitchen so I grabbed my phone and took a picture. But it was really just bad. So I went and grabbed my camera. I ended up spending half an hour playing on the floor with him, taking pictures that are very much who he is. At the time I didn't care about what he was wearing, that the kitchen floor still hadn't been swept or that he had just woken up so his hair was crazy. In the moment, playing with him, none of that mattered. And now I have pictures that show off his personality, the little things he does on a normal day.
Those pictures are some of my favorite recent pictures of him. I got lucky, he happened to be wearing his favorite shirt and his cloth diaper happened to coordinate with it. But this morning he looked just as cute in his pirate monkey pajama top and the shorts Tyler pulled out of the laundry basket because he is pajama pants were wet. I've had a lot of people freak out when I suggest shooting at their house, especially with babies and toddlers. But that is their element, the place where the best of them comes out. A familiar environment full of the things they love. "But the cleaning! My house is a mess!" Mine too. But we can make it work with just a little picking up as we go and different angles! Don't ever be afraid to capture your life as it is, these moments only last so long! Don't misunderstand me, on location makes for some stunning pictures. But sometimes, especially for little kids, home will get you the pictures of the kids you know and love. It will let everyone else see your kids how you see them!
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| Playing with the buttons on his high chair |
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| Climbing. Because he refuses to walk but will climb anything left unsupervised. |
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Being lured away from the stairs. Note the floor that needs to be swept and the basket full of laundry.
It is ok to let it go! (please don't start singing.) |
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| Watching his brother put dishes away |
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| Eli travels by bounce. He gets on his knees puts his hands up like this and bounces around the house. I would never get this picture unless we were at home. Also note the t-shirt. As soon as it is clean, that is the one he wants. No idea where he gets that particular love from. ;) |
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| Serious and mildly disgruntled. He is just wandering and doing his thing, another example of a picture I only get at home. |
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| How he and Piglet told me they were done. |
So I have two points here. One sometimes the moment really is more important than everything being perfect. Don't be afraid to capture the imperfections. And two, don't think ok is good enough. Have real portraits taken of your family as your life happens. It doesn't have to be a special occasion or at a special place. Take a moment to capture right now and have really great pictures of this moment, because it's not coming back
I also promised on the facebook page yesterday some summer discounted session information. And here it is!
