Why you should exist in photos

WHY YOU SHOULD EXIST IN PHOTOS

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This isn’t just for photographers, though i know plenty that this could also benefit!- this is mostly towards women, and seemingly towards mamas- not to pick on you! they just tend to give me the post excuses to skip being in the memories and moments that they want to capture of their family.

i believe that mamas need to be in more photos, they’re usually the glue that holds the family together and they’re normally behind the camera snapping away at get birthday parties, and special moments. and they tend to always give me excuses i deem not good enough.

Moms want the best photos of kids- that’s what matters to. you but what will matter to those kids is when the grow up and see the moments and interaction with mom that flood back memories. photos only gain more value with time and not truly known until years later when kids and grandkids hold those memories in their hands.

i’ve heard it all as a photographer- weight, not feeling up to it, not the right outfit, etc.. your kids won’t care though. you are the physical embodiment of everything you mean to your loved ones, right now. as you are. so you want better photos of your kids?- get IN the photos too.

reasons to exist in photos

1- Not only for social media and online presence purpose although that IS important in my work. the more i’ve learned about platforms is people care about the creator many times more than the work. they want to know who’s creating the content and feel connected to them. it’s why one of the first things i suggest to anyone with a business is to show up. Get photos of you, record your daily moments, because that’s what matters to people is connection.

2-It also is important to not be a hypocrite in my field. where everyday i’m telling men and women how important it is, i dont’ want years to go by and realize i haven’t been photographed, i dont’ have up to date portraits where i feel beautiful and seen.

3-self image. There have been a few sessions i specifically took because i knew it would help my confidence. we all have painful seasons in our life, and i can’t even really explain but getting to see myself as not the mess instructing others but a beautiful, strong, capable woman. we see 100s and thousands of images every single day, and in a world where it’s almost impossible not to compare at some point, i think it’s important to see some of those photos of YOU. and see the beauty in you. so when we scroll through beautiful images, we know we’re beautiful too. i tell the women i photograph about how it’ll make them feel even when they say it’s for someone else, but we don’t often get to dress up and get pampered and show our best angles, and seeing that in ourselves too. 
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4-it helps me appreciate little things about myself i deemed unworthy. I see a lot of images, and i can point out beautiful, sexy, gorgeous details about women, but i dont’ always see that in myself. in fact, those same things i loved in someone else, i’ve often been far too harsh about them on me. So seeing them in a photograph, i realize it’s okay and honestly i start to appreciate those things in me.

5-I also do it because i’m always changing. If i get to have kids, they'll see through the years and not have a gap of 5-10 years where i. wasn’t photographed. They’ll see who i was and hopefully feel closer through that too.

6- this is why the kids should exist in photos too, but there are literally have been studies that prove that when children are photographed and those photos are printed and hung in the home, they feel a sense of security and love- a place where they belong, this also then has been shown through this study first conducted in the 1975 with 4th graders that they did better on test scores. It builds their self esteem too! There even have been multiple psychologists who see the importance of showing a family as a family unit, to see themselves as valued and part of the family, safe and protected.- from David Krauss. He was one of the first to use personal photos and family albums to assist in mental health and therapy. although i think i was destined to be a photographer from a young age- i would spend hours and hours flipping through my moms photo albums, and the family photos on the wall would stop me mid play and have be staring at the portrait- i can see how it definitely played a role in me feeling valued and part of the whole that was important.

so is having photos enough? my bias (and i found David Krauss also said) that having them printed where a child could see them everyday was more important to the self esteem than to having them just on a computer somehwere. and as technology changes, keeping them alone on a file that could corrupt without proper back up isn’t going to do justice. get them printed and hung on walls.

I’ve listed some excuses from women about not being in photographs so here’s a few things to remember to positively impact that thought!

1-aging is absolutely a privilege and i know for myself, i started noticing some new found wrinkles as soon as i hit 30 which honestly is so rude. ha but they aren’t going away anytime soon so i should hop in front of the camera as much as possible!

2- most of the time i’m in yoga pants, i hardly brush my hair when i’m working and basically a hot mess behind the computer, so it’ll feel good to get ready and prove to myself i’ve still got it! (and then immediately get back into yoga pants.)

3- those extra vanity pounds? Pshh. find the right photographer and you can show off your best assets and get angles that you feel comfortable with and allow them to show you what they see.. and that’s beauty. you don’t need a bunch of retouching, just good communication and a photographer able to pose you well.

i know life seems like a constant blur, busy, and overwhelming with the to dos, but if there’s something i can leave with you it’s how thankful i am my grandparents took photos together both when they were younger and a bit older. i still look at some of the images i’ve printed of them ever single day in the red colored kitchen i made to remember her even more. and i’m so thankful for the moments my mom chose to get in front of the camera too because i’ll always hold onto them and all she taught me through her character- even when she didn’t realize the impact she was making.

Inbetween the blurred months and years, i encourage you to get in front of the camera. Tell your spouse to take candids even when you’re snoring on the couch cuddled with your kids, blowing out birthday candles, and then make sure to try to get yearly portraits done all together as a unit. Not just for today’s self esteem and wall art, but for tomorrow’s memories that want to be held onto.

Thank you for tuning in, and as always keep shining