3 reasons why every mummy should get in the photograph - Abigail Webb, Abigails Photography
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3 reasons why every mummy should get in the photograph
89.
The number of snacks I have made for my daughter today?
The number of times I have loaded the washing machine this week?
The number of times I have dreamed of sitting on a beach in the sunshine?
89.
That is the number of photographs I have on my mobile phone of me and my daughter Lottie.
89.
All selfies.
Most of them out of focus.
Missing the top of a head.
Finger over the lens.
How many photographs do I have of Lottie with her daddy?
822. Yes that is right. 822.
Action shots.
Cuddles.
Doing jigsaws together.
Playing in the garden.
Making cakes.
Sitting in the car.
Eating dinner.
Pushing the pram.
It goes on and on and on. You get the picture (no pun intended). Why do us mums not get in the photo? Why do we end up with hundreds of photographs of our children with other people and not us? Or if we are in the photo, it’s a selfie where the angle of the camera makes our chin look odd or our arm is taking up half of the photo. Don’t we deserve to be documented in our children’s lives? Wouldn’t our children love to see photographs of their mummy in years to come?
As a motherhood photographer, I've heard all the excuses about not getting in the photograph. And that’s coming from me. We have all kind of hang-ups about getting in the photo but we need to get into the photograph. Otherwise, we will regret it. Worse still, our children will even more.
1. The Emotions of Motherhood
Being a mum is a rollercoaster ride, that’s for sure. The highs, the lows, the loop the loop. Documenting your life through the different stages of motherhood, will be a permanent reminder of your journey. The good, the bad and the down right ugly.
The posed smiled photographs are nice but it 's the in-between moments that tell your story. Your connection. The quiet moments when you are snuggling together photographs. The running around the garden photographs. The cooking dinner together moments. The lying on the sofa exhausted photographs.
Photographs make us remember.
The emotions.
The sounds.
The smells.
2. You can't get those moments back
I was chatting to a lovely couple about booking a session, they had just had a baby boy after years of trying to conceive. It had been an emotional journey for both of them and they wanted to celebrate by having a permanent reminder of those newborn days. Initially, mum was adamant that she wasn't getting in the photograph. I suggested that we take a couple of photographs during the session of her with her son and of the 3 of them. If she didn’t like them, then no harm done.
A few weeks later when I delivered the photographs, she burst into tears. Happy tears, thankfully. She was so glad that I had persuaded her to get in the photograph. When she looked at those photographs, she saw love. She felt love. She was instantly transported back to those early newborn days.
She even wrote a letter to say how thankful she was to have the photographs and how she would have regretted not having any.
We can’t get that time back. Your children are the littlest they are ever going to be – today.
3. If not for you, for them.
My mum hates the camera. Always has. Always will. And because of that, I only have a few photographs of us together when I was growing up. What I would give to have a photograph of me and my mum in the park, making cakes, snuggling on the sofa.
Imagine your child in 10, 20 or 30 years time looking through a family album and not finding any photos of you in it? A massive part of their life, but almost invisible.
Our children will love to look at those photographs in years to come. They won’t care whether if we were a little overweight, not wearing makeup or have roots. Children don’t see the weight gain, the lack of makeup or the dark circles under our eyes.
Children see their mummy.
They see love.
They see safety.
They see comfort.
They see joy.
You are their safe place.
We need to include ourselves in the photographs for the sake of the children. Imagine your child looking back in years to come at a photo of the two of you laughing and smiling together – that can only make them happy and feel good about themselves, no matter how old they are!
So whether you hand your phone to someone and ask them to take a photograph or whether you decide to invest in a professional portrait session, get in the photo. You won't regret it. I promise
Bio:
Hi, I am Abi, a mummy to two and a half year olf little girl called Lottie, partner to Paul and motherhood photographer. I document the journey from pregnancy to family and everything in between. I am determined to make sure that every mummy has one emotional filled photograph with their children. I encourage mums to get in the photo, not only to document their own journey through motherhood but to ensure that they leave a legacy for their children.
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