Moms, It’s Time to Get Yourself In Front of the Camera
Let’s Take a Selfie: 5 Ways to Take Self Portraits With Your Kids and Family
Last year, pop star Pink added a line in the caption to her Instagram post saying, “I hope one of @hartluck’s resolution is to photograph his wife more. Just so people know I exist…” This simple comment inspired articles about the very concept of including moms in pictures! Who knew it was such a concern…well, if you’re a mom, the struggle can be all too familiar.
In honor of National Selfie Day, we’re breaking down 5 ways you can make sure to document your presence in the lives of your little ones and family!
1. Schedule an outing with another mom friend or family member.
They say two heads are better than one and so are four hands! If you’re the primary caretaker for your children, you likely frequent your local parks, beaches, and trails on your own. The lovely scenery and opportunities for fun moments mean you are probably the one snapping all kinds of frame-worthy moments daily. When was the last time you were in any of this snapshots?
Inviting a friend or family member with children of their own creates the perfect opportunity to take turns capturing these moments that include you in the photograph! We recommend making this at least a monthly routine!
2. Remind Dad to Practice his Photography Skills
We’ve already established that dads want to be more involved with their families and children. We’ve also established that they need a little bit of support and encouragement to participate more. One way to do this is by asking them to take pictures of you with your kids for a change.
If you’re like a lot of us here at Babies in Bloom, we’ve got tons of pictures we’ve snapped when our partners didn’t even realize it, capturing some precious, private moments in our home of our children playing with their dads. We may not have as many of us doing the same, because we haven’t asked for them. Let’s change that.
It’s very likely that the moments we’ll look back on and treasure the most are the daily activities that might feel mundane right now. Nursing, bath-time, story-time, and putting on socks are some fleeting examples of parenthood worth documenting in photo and video formats. Invite and give Dad permission to snap away. Do your best to let go of any insecurities about not looking the most put together. We can bet that years down the road, you won’t care that your hair wasn’t brushed.
3. Boost those Selfie Skills
Most phones these days have a nifty feature that allows you to flip the camera screen to your face, making selfies so much easier than yesteryear. For some, snapping selfies is nothing short of an art form, but we encourage you to get goofy and have fun with this. Encourage your baby to make faces while you do the same, play with filters, or just pose and shoot. The point is, make sure that you include your beautiful face next to your beautiful baby. This can get more difficult as you grow your family, but we know you’re up for the challenge.
And don’t think we’ve forgotten you, our mamas-to-be, don’t limit your weekly bump photos to the lower half of your body, find ways to angle your selfie screen to create a full-bodied shot that includes your face! Again, through your insecurities to the wind, and proudly snap away. You’ll really treasure these pictures one day, we promise!
4. Make Professional Photos a Regular Occurrence
We know some professional portraits aren’t that cheap, but we also know there are plenty of local photographers out there with reasonable packages for your growing family. It just takes some extra research, budgeting, and effort to make sure this happens semi-regularly for your family. The frequency is up to what works best for you, maybe once a year or every other year is enough.
Why professional photos, you may ask? They are a way you can celebrate your family as you all grow, and it’s also a surefire way to make sure that everyone is included in one photo without the stress of taking hundreds of blurry, low quality photos to get there. Putting the pressure and trust in the hands of a professional is a great way to make the experience enjoyable, and something you can look forward to.
5. Print Your Favorite Photos Regularly
So, this last tip doesn’t necessarily involve taking pictures with you in them, but it’s almost as important. These days, we take thousands of photographs without ever printing them out and displaying them. Gone are the days of developing a disposable camera at your local drugstore and putting them in a photo album (maybe you still do this — and in that case, thumbs up!). There are tons of sites and services out there that help you create family albums by simply uploading your photos to a website too. We are fans of finding ways to frame and display your favorite photos at home, but the ultimate goal is to give your family photographs some front and center attention.
Not only do we encourage displaying your photographs in your home, we also advocate updating them every year or two! This is a great way to keep some favorites of the past but also have gratitude for your recent and present life.
Having photographs of you and your family displayed in your home will help remind you to continue to include yourself in these photos. You’ll realize just how special these photographs and the moments that created them are to you. And you’ll include yourself in your family’s history for years and decades to come.
Looking for more tips and tricks to taking some amazing shots that include you in the frame, moms? Check out Jessie Martin Photography’s Blog!
