New Years MOM Photo Challenge – Start Taking Those Pictures

by: Natalie
Natalie Johnson Photography
baileyalec@hotmail.com

To all the women who find themselves called mom I want to put you to a challenge this New Year. I was recently sitting at a memorial service for the son of a friend of ours. They lost him way too soon at 22 years and it was heartbreaking. I watched video of years with him and it was a reminder to me as a mom I need to not only record my children’s lives, but my life with them. We are one of the most important people in our children’s lives and we are probably the least photographed. It is easy when our kids are little to get photos with them but as they age it gets harder. I will bet if you look at your Facebook albums you will see 50 photos of your kid’s activity taken and not one of them includes you, the mom. We all are guilty of this and here are the excuses, I need a haircut, I hate my hair cut, I need to lose pounds-how many I really won’t tell you, I didn’t do my makeup today, who would take the photo if I didn’t?. As a photographer I hear soooo many excuses, trust me I know, I have moms pull me aside ALL the time during a photo shoot and want me to help them look their best.

Ah-ha moment, life is what it is, and in this moment in time, the New Year of 2011, you need to record who you are with your children. You are the only mother they will ever have. So, the challenge is to take a minimum of 5 shots with you in them. You have until January 31st to accomplish this. The shots will depend on how many children you have. Shot one or two or three will be a photo at some point in the month with you and each one of your children individually, not a group shot. Shot two, you with all your children very close together, think close hugs. Shot three, a family shot with a non-distracting background so this can be framed. Shot four, you alone, yes, just you. There are very few moms that have a photo of just themselves to even use as a Facebook profile picture. Shot five, a photo of you and your spouse alone, one of the kids can take this one. I am putting myself to this challenge this month because I am usually on the other side of the camera. If you would like to post your challenge to Facebook it would be very fun for your friends to see you, their friend, instead of 50 photos of just your child. Wishing all you moms a hope filled New Year!