When Was The Last Time You Were In The Frame With Your Children?!
If you’re anything like me, the answer is probably ‘I can’t remember’!
As mums, we’re always making sure we capture our children growing, and it’s so easy these days with the cameras on phones. We take hundreds of photos of our children living their lives. We send them to grandparents, we post them on Facebook and Instagram – we’re so proud of our babies (rightly so) and we want to share all of their incredible achievements and hilarious moments. I genuinely think it’s a lovely part of parenthood and we have every right to show them off. But sometimes, along the road in our motherhood journey, we can forget to celebrate ourselves. Our achievements. Our moments. Our stories. Our contribution to the family. And the thing is; to those children, you are their World. You are their Mum. Their hero. You protect them, feed them, play with them, and take care of them endlessly and selflessly. And boy do they love you for it.
One of the reasons I decided to become a Family Photographer is because I realised after two years of being a mother, when I was making our annual photo album, that I had thousands of photos but I wasn't in many of them. I felt sad at the idea that my kids would look at those albums and think - where were you Mama? So I tried to make a more conscious effort to get in the frame and wanted to empower other mums to get in the frame more!
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
The answer is simple. It’s important to our children to have tangible memories that will literally never fade. Their childhoods are so short-lived, and although they will have memories, they will be few and far between as new ones are made growing up. I often look back at the photos I have of my childhood, and they spark memories, which in turn sparks joy! They are windows to the past, that may not seem important while we’re here, but when someone is gone, they are everything.
I know, I know…..I DON'T REALLY ENJOY having my photo taken EITHER...
Are you holding back on getting family photographs because you are self-conscious? I’m going to be blunt with you: none of it matters. In 25 years from now, when your kids are looking back on their family photos they will want to see you as part of them. They won’t care if your wardrobe wasn’t Pinterest enough. Or if you had 5 more kilos to lose. They definitely won’t care if that one hair was out of place. And I promise, in 25 years you won’t care about that either. What you will care about is seeing yourself with your tiny children in your arms. You will be glad to have a concrete reminder of the details your memories had forgotten. So although you may hate having your photo taken, your children literally don’t care!! To have beautiful memories, for them, is priceless, and the best gift you could ever give them! I truly want to empower women – I want them to look at images of themselves and think; I look beautiful. I am important. I am wonderful just the way I am.
HERE ARE SOME SIMPLE TIPS TO HELP GET YOU IN THE FRAME!
- Ask! Tell your husband, friends and fellow mums that you would love them to take pictures of you when they are with you - and at the same time ask them if they would like you to do the same, I mean who better to take that lovely shot of you giggling with your toddler on the trampoline, or of you sharing that ice cream in the park? After I spoke to my husband about this he got a lot better at taking photos of me with the kids. Are they perfect? No usually not in my eyes, but you know what it's a memory captured and that's the most important!
- Take more selfies! I know, I know selfies can just end up being a burst of 20 pictures of your right nostril, especially when you have a baby in your arms and a 3-year-old jumping up and down on your lap. But trust me – the more you take the more likely that there will be a few glowing, golden, beautiful moments captured there. And then you will be thankful you did.
- And last but not least - book yourself into a family photo session! I know it’s easily said and not so easily done, especially if you are feeling like January must contain at least 388 days because your last payday seemed like years ago. But I always say; when you invest in a session it's, of course, exciting receiving your gallery following your shoot. But the real joy and value of it will come in a year, in five years, in ten years' time. That's the joy with photos, they become so much more valuable as time goes on. In the last few years, I have started asking for things that I wouldn’t get for myself for either Birthday or Christmas gifts, such as spa treatments. So why not include a family session in your wishlist?
Being a mum is a rollercoaster ride, exhausting, but also the most beautiful and rewarding thing! It’s about time you celebrated it.
This is why in every family photo session, I make sure to capture photographs of the mom. There is absolutely nothing more beautiful than watching a mum's selfless love for her children. I promise I will capture moments of genuine connection between you and your family. You will look at your photos and will only be able to see the beauty in your family, and in yourself. You will receive your gallery of photos and have loads of yourself to choose from. I want you to be able to adorn the walls of your home with your family photos with you as a part of it.
I see you, Mum, and I want you to feel seen, too. #Getintheframe