“I think I’ll wait until… I lose some weight, until my hair gets a bit longer, until the next time we are here…” These are the excuses I have been using to avoid getting on the other side of the lens. The truth is, who knows when I’ll lose the weight, or when my hair will look better. This is part of the reason I don’t have many images of myself with my children. I feel awful about it. And admittingly the other part of it is because I have become so critical about the perfection in images that I have forgotten the true purpose behind them. Since taking photography seriously, I have been reluctant to let go of the reigns and pass on the duty to someone else (i.e. my hubby) in fear that they won’t be as I envisioned. I am certain that tomorrow or five years from now, when we are looking into the archives, perfection won’t matter. What will matter is the laughter we have from remembering when we were stranded on vacation with a flat tire, the laughter that comes from the bad hair cut that was a must have, the tears shed from seeing the image of the first moment we laid eyes upon our most precious gifts of life… These are the reasons to put all your insecurities aside. So if your like me, always the one with camera in hand- clicking the shutter… hand over the reigns for a bit, I promise you won’t regret it.
With all that said, I am most certainly not dismissing the importance of having some good quality images of yourself, your children and your family, in fact I think it is extremely important. So don’t hold off on handing the reigns over to a professional either. I am currently trading with another photographer (who most of you will know and love) for family sessions. We both have been putting it off so the time was perfect. If you are reading this and your not a photographer, it is totally worth the investment of hiring a professional to capture some images from time to time, these are lifelong memories you will cherish.
The image below was taken for the Evolve Workshop I am currently taking. I chose the location, composed the shot and handed the camera off to my husband. I’ll treasure it forever.
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