Last week on Monday night I sat in front of my computer for the longest time trying to figure out what I would blog about for #twintuesday. I ended up digging through our files and finding our vacation pictures from last year in Tennessee and actually loved the fact I had time to edit them. (They had been un-touched before then and most of the images are still there waiting to be used somehow.) That’s all because the more time I spend working with my clients, the less time I have for personal projects or whipping out the camera to capture the kids. Something about that makes me so sad. The boy’s first year I completed a 365 project almost to perfection. I think I only missed two days and it was because I left out of town to go see Taylor Swift in concert. This year however, my first year back to work, I’m slimming it on the picture taking department big time. If you follow us on our personal Instagram account I’m sure you’ve noticed all the dust that has settled. Why is it that it’s now so hard to pick a camera whenever I’m with the kids?
I firmly believe its because of the following reasons, and most photographer parents will agree:
- Taking lots of pictures and letting them sit there on a drive and postpone editing them until “I have time”.
- If I just got home from a sunrise shoot, I don’t want to pick up the camera again to take a picture of the cereal-mess party happening on the kitchen floor so an iPhone picture will do.
- I already spend so much time around pictures: planning sessions, meeting our clients, taking their pictures, editing their session, delivering their images that when it comes to family time we want to be fully present.
- I’m tired. Just like every other working parent. So so tired.
- I want pretty pictures. Kinda like the ones we take of our clients. A messy house, mix-matched socks, pajamas and left over lunch smeared on their shirts isn’t what I want to be blogging about.
But here I am. Editing even though I have no time. Just picked up the camera although I had an early morning shoot. Tired from a weekend of working and still taking pictures of my dirty kids outside our yard. Because if I don’t do it, before long I will realize I missed it all. I missed the every day because I wanted perfection. Twin Tuesday today wasn’t staged or put together on purpose. These pictures aren’t even “professional” standard. Today I’m just a mom with a camera watching my kids run around like crazy because they have been trapped inside for way too long because mom and dad have been working so much. Today I didn’t edit out their mosquito bites or bruises, the dirt in their legs or the sweat in their faces. I even included a blurry photo. Today I said forget the standard and let’s do the real because just like most of you, I love my babies too much to feel they are ever less than perfect. My husband and I are a hot mess most days, but when he’s playing with the kids, I just want to jump on him and make two more. Yes, more kids, more twins… because I’m that mom who’s hands are full and wants more.
Forget perfect and go enjoy some real! (D just walked by and said, “You let them drink out of the faucet?!”) Yes, yes I did. Because the three drips that actually landed in his mouth were too irresistible not to photograph. I hope that with all my rambling I encourage you to release some of those high expectations we set for ourselves all the time. Inspire you to break hold on the kids and let them run wild a bit. Whatever stress you have that day will surely lessen while you watch them explore. Nothing makes me happier than watching these two grin from ear to ear at the simply joys of life. So happy #twintuesday celebrating parents that work really hard, at home or somewhere else, who’s kids see the outdoors as FREEDOM!!! and who go to sleep every night wishing they could just cuddle those kids all day long. Even against their will because they rather be racing toy cars. 🙂
