I’m jumping out of order again – I know, I know – but that’s the way it goes these days. One fire at a time.
Interesting intersection between this article and this particular project on my to-do list for the year.
The article, by Allison Tate, is about her aversion to being on the other side of the camera. She has many reasons for it – she thinks her kids are cuter, she likes pictures of the kids alone better than ones with her in them, and after having four kids she’s not feeling particularly put together and she doesn’t really want to document the way she looks at that moment. I think everyone can relate to those things at some point. But the other big reason she’s never in the pictures is that she is always the one taking them.
Bingo.
I take pictures of my kids all the time, but one of my very least favorite things to do is to pose for a picture. When I’m out doing something or visiting somewhere I hate it when people call for you to stop, stand still in one place / by some fountain / in front of some statue, and smile for the camera. And I really, really hate corralling children to do the same. I’m much happier being behind the camera, and being quiet while I’m there. Which means this – I’m never in the pictures.
I loved reading the article, especially where the author points out how much she enjoys looking at photos of her own mother and her grandmothers. She’s never critical of how her mother’s hair looks, or what she’s wearing. She just loves seeing her mother in the various stages of her life – from young to old. She wonders why she is so obsessed with having to look just right in order to allow herself to be photographed. And she vows to let others take more pictures of her with her kids so that they will have them to look at as they grow and after she’s gone.
It’s been several years since we’ve had professional photos made of our family and we’re way overdue. We’re getting some made next weekend, and hopefully the weather will cooperate. It will be a laid back event – no wardrobe changes, hopefully little stress. I just want to hand the camera over to someone else for a change, and capture the great ages we’ve got going on in our house right now. And I’m going to try and get out from behind the camera on a regular basis as well. I’ve got a tripod on my wish list, and I’d like to start playing around with setting it up and taking some remote shots of me and the kids doing what we’re doing. It’s a promise to myself to get in more pictures – I’m just not promising to stand still and say “cheese” in order to get them!
funny, i read that same article yesterday. i hate, hate, hate having my picture taken, but will think twice about it now that i have read her article!