Most women are self-conscious about being photographed. It doesn’t matter how beautiful they are. Especially if you are a new Mom who just had a baby, having gone through so many body changes during and after pregnancy, our bodies are just never the same again. It is very easy to understand why Moms shy away from the camera. But we need to find that happy place where we can accept and be comfortable in these amazing new ‘mom-bods’ of ours.
When I was pregnant with my first daughter we did a Maternity photoshoot, but being a Photographer I thought I would just do the newborn photo’s myself. Looking back now, I wish I had rather booked a photographer for this too! I got some beautiful images of my little baby girl, but I have none of the 3 of us together, or even just one with me and her. All I have are a few amateurs, blurry and mostly dark images my husband took, and not a lot either. Luckily, with my second daughter, I booked a photographer to do our newborn session and I am so glad I did! Those portraits are still up on my wall! We as a family! My most PRECIOUS memories!
About 4 years ago, I decided to create a yearly photo album for each of my girls. I create 2 of each, one for us and one for them that they can keep one day. A lifetime gift of memories! However, after doing about 2 of them, I started to realize that I am not in nearly as many images as their father.
My legacy as a mother was not being documented.
I remember going through our family albums (you know, back in the day of printed photos and plastic pocket photo albums! where photos still had to be developed and our Moms could not see themselves and decide they don’t look good enough…), and my favourite photos would be those of my Mom, seeing how young and beautiful she was, full of life and energy, just being with us, seeing the fun times we had together. But looking through these old albums I know there are missing puzzle pieces too. Moments with my Mom that are not there. Tangible proof of tea parties, time spent reading stories, baking together, etc. Memories I would have cherished and loved to have!
So how can I deprive my kids of that?! I need to show up in our family portraits for my kids! It’s time we understand how important it is to show up in photographs for our kids. I realized that even I, a photographer by profession, do the same thing. I am always the one taking the photos and am rarely present in them. So I have embarked on a journey to start documenting myself in their lives. Because all they will see one day is their MOM! Not my hips, not my legs, not my arms, not my tummy, JUST their MOM! Let’s give them the gift of a lifetime of memories!
