Okay moms, I get it.  Sometimes it can be so hard to get in front of the camera.  It can have a way of magnifying any insecurity we may have.  Is this the reason why you have been slacking on updating your family photos?  If so, I hope that maybe some of the things I have learned from a very special personal project might inspire you to stop procrastinating.

It was 2013 when I joined a group of ladies with one goal, to be in one photo with their children a month.  Seems easy right?  Well, you know that old adage that the plumber’s toilet is always clogged and the maid’s house is constantly dirty?  That was where I stood with actually being in a photo (I guess lots of photographers and moms can say that!).  It was so much easier to stay behind the camera than to step in front of it where my insecurities shined but I vowed to do it anyway.  The first year was filled with a lot of trial and error but at the end of that year I had over 40 images of myself with my daughter versus the 5 I had from 2012.  That was a huge accomplishment for me and that also meant my daughter had actual photos with her mother (instead of a lopsided photo album filled with just daddy).  It became easier to hand the camera over to my husband or to set up the tripod.  After 3 years of doing this every month I learned a few things.

1.  I don’t need to be perfect.  In the beginning of this project, I strived for the “perfect” image captured.  Perfect smile from my daughter….perfect pose by myself…perfect composition…perfect lighting…I wanted it all to be well…perfect!  Talk about stressful!  Being perfect isn’t reality and wanting all of that from a single image was near impossible.  It was when a good friend said that I shouldn’t strive for perfection but to instead focus on the moments I want to remember that this project became easier for me (and my kids!).

2.  The moment matters.  Letting go of perfection was just what I needed to focus on the special moments I share with my children.  We all have daily routines we share with our children that deserve to be documented.  Helping them get dressed, making their breakfast, tucking them in for their afternoon nap, walking home from school or bath time are all everyday moments that will fill their memories of you and the special way you did each of those things.  Having those moments to forever be cherished by them is such a special gift you give them when you decide to be in the photo with them.

 3.  Time is fleeting.  When I look back on the images I have taken over the last three years, one thing is very clear.  My children have grown and they have grown by a lot!  If there was ever a great time to capture memories with them, it is now.  My daughter is no longer a toddler like she was when I started this project but a little girl.  We weren’t even blessed with my sweet boy at the beginning of this project and because of it, I got to document my pregnancy with him and his infant years.  That was something I had never gotten around to doing with my older two children.  We have all heard the cliche that the years are short but the days are long and looking back at old images really makes that saying feel so true.  Go back and look at your photos from 3 years ago.  They make your heart ache just a little with how fast the time moved beneath you.

I’m am so very grateful for the “wherever i am with you” project and what it has given my family.  Moms, I encourage you to get in the photo more with your children! You will be so happy you did.

Cynthia is a Toledo Ohio Photographer.  She is an on location lifestyle and storytelling photographer serving the Toledo, Sylvania, Maumee, Holland, Perrysburg, Oregon and Northwest Ohio areas. She is available for maternity, newborn, baby, children and family portraits and documentary photo sessions.  Book a session with her today!