Make sure YOU are in the pictures

Posted: June 18th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Family Portraits, Information | Tags: , | 9 Comments »

Everyone wants pictures of their kids. Good pictures, bad pictures, doesn’t matter. We adore our children and want to capture every last moment as we feel that clock inexorably moving forward. Yesterday they were babies, then they sat up. Can that be MY child riding a scooter? We document their lives with professional portraits and iPhone snaps and home movies and tend to forget one thing.

We are part of their lives.

Women always say to me “Oh, I don’t want to be in any. I didn’t do my hair. I’m not wearing any makeup. I need to lose 10 pounds. Or 20.” No, you probably don’t need to lose 20 pounds and I’m sure you look gorgeous without makeup and, more to the point, you are in your kids lives looking just the way you look, right now. You need to be in the pictures. You are creating the photographic story of your child’s life, from the snapshots to the portraits, and when you look back you will see a narrative connecting them that you didn’t even realize was there at the time.

I know the odds are good that you are the family photographer and can claim “well, I’m not in them because no one else can take a picture.” I know this because this is my excuse. Or maybe you duck behind a tree when the family photographer comes out waving his or her camera claiming those 20 pounds or lack of lipstick as the excuse. I know that you feel uncomfortable in front of a camera. It’s hard to have your picture taken. But if you don’t get in front of that camera that photographic narrative won’t include you. There will be no photo you can show your adult children of you loving on them at 5 days old. No photo of you laughing with your 2-year-old. No photo of you with all of your children smiling at you because they adore you. Hand your partner the camera and get some snapshots with you in them. Next time you have a portrait session tell the photographer to make sure you are in some of the images. Because you ARE part of the story of your children’s lives. You need to be in the pictures.

9 Comments on “Make sure YOU are in the pictures”

  1. 1 Jen Stafford said at 2:14 pm on June 18th, 2010:

    What a great reminder. I need to be better about this :)

  2. 2 Alexis said at 2:34 pm on June 18th, 2010:

    Great post Stacie! I have virtually no pictures of me with my kids. I need to work on that more.

  3. 3 Danielle Frank said at 2:49 pm on June 18th, 2010:

    You’re so right. I’m in barely any and can think of all the excuses in the world. Great reminder.

  4. 4 Vickie said at 3:03 pm on June 18th, 2010:

    This is so true. I am guilty of this myself, but I always wish I had more pictures with the kids. They really don’t care if we look perfect or not :)

  5. 5 Katherine said at 5:17 pm on June 18th, 2010:

    So true! I find that I really have to remember to make sure I’m in some of the photos when it’s my own family, especially since I’m usually the one taking the pictures.

  6. 6 Ramsey said at 10:02 pm on June 19th, 2010:

    This is so true. I wish I had more of my parents with me, and I so wish I had more of me with my kids. Great Post.

  7. 7 Inna said at 2:38 am on June 21st, 2010:

    This seriously made me tear up. You are SO right. I am totally the 20lb/lipstick excuse kind of gal, and I need to get over it right now and get my pictures taken. I want my kids to remember me just like I am today.

  8. 8 Jessica Cochrane said at 7:35 pm on June 26th, 2010:

    Couldn’t agree more, and you stated it perfectly. Thanks!

  9. 9 Words of Wisdom :: Harford County Portrait Photographer | Jen Snyder Photography, the blog! :: Maryland Portrait Photographer said at 4:10 am on July 1st, 2010:

    [...] Make Sure You Are In The Pictures A gem from my friend Stacie Turner, from CT. I touched on this in an earlier post, but she states it with more eloquence. [...]