If you are like me you hate to see photographs of yourself. You criticize every detail of the photo until you delete it or burn it. In the beginning of 2010 I made the goal to start taking more photos of myself. I became passionate that moms need to take more photos of themselves. They needed to get out from behind the camera and be in the pictures!
I Only Had One or Two Photos
After having Zarek in 2009 I realized that I had hundreds of photos of Zane but there were not many photos of me with Zane. I only had one or two really. I hid behind the camera.
Excuses
I used the fact that I was the one taking all the photos as an excuse. A way to pretend that I wasn’t hiding from seeing myself. I decided to start working on my self confidence and also on some of the things I don’t like about myself. I made a point to take pictures even if I don’t look perfect.
Give Yourself a Pep Talk
I started out by telling myself “I am not doing this for myself but for my children.” They will love seeing photos of me with them as children. To remember what I looked liked. To remember me being there with them on those special moments. To see how I loved them. To remember their mommy.
Look Beyond the Photo
They won’t see that I have a slight double chin in that photo. They won’t see that my skin wasn’t perfect, that I deal with acne even as an adult. They will not see those things I hate. They will see their mom that they love.
How I Started
Start out with just taking photos of yourself. Learn how to make yourself feel better in the photos. Learn about how angles work, how you should hold your head. Consider joining a 365 challenge or a 52 week challenge where you have to take a photo every day or every week. But just start taking pictures!
Now Five Years Later
I now have a fun and bright collection of photos for my boys. I have photos of with them, I have photos of my and their dad. They can see how I have lost weight, how my style has changed.
But you know what changed the most? Me.
I’m now more confident about myself, I’m more comfortable with myself, and you know what they have learned to be the same way!
I’m going to make sure I have pictures of me for my kids! You should too? Why Moms Need to be in the Photo http://t.co/iQCoeI2jLU
— Pepper (@unicornbeauty) February 7, 2015
I Challenge You!
I want to challenge you to look beyond the picture and take photos of yourself. Ask someone else to take a few shots. Get creative with angles or mirrors. Just take pictures of you! These pictures will be something special for your children to hold onto for ages.
I don’t necessarily mind photos of myself, but I also don’t have very many of me and Elias when he was younger. 🙁
I year ago I made the same decision. The photos are for the babies:) I’m proud of you. There is nothing more annoying then a woman complaining about being in a photo or video. My mother is law ruins all of our home movies because she doesn’t want to me in them…
Following from MBC! Cute blog!
Brandi
I think you’re lovely. And our kids do need to see us in the pictures more! I think it’s a great goal to take more pictures of yourself.