“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
I spend so much of my time reminding my clients how important it is to get in the pictures with their families. I tell moms not to worry about the messy hair, the imperfect outfits, the little ones who won't sit still, or whether they've lost those last few pounds. I remind them that their children won't care about any of those things one day. They'll just be thankful to have those pictures.
And yet, here I am, the photographer who will do just about anything to avoid being in front of the camera. 😂
We recently had family pictures taken, and let me tell you, I had every excuse in the book. I'll wait until I lose some weight. My face is broken out. I don't like the way my hair looks. Maybe next year when I feel a little more confident.
Sound familiar?
It's funny how easily we can see the beauty in everyone else but struggle to see it in ourselves. I can look at a mama holding her babies and see the sweetest, most beautiful moments unfolding right in front of me. But when it comes to looking at my own pictures, suddenly I'm my own worst critic.
But something that has really stuck with me lately is how Eli tells me I'm beautiful. And to him, I am. He doesn't see the things I pick apart in the mirror. He doesn't notice the imperfections I spend so much time worrying about. He just sees his mama.
And goodness, if that doesn't put things into perspective.
Eli is older today than he was yesterday. His little face is changing, his personality is growing, and the days of him being this little boy are passing whether I'm ready for them to or not. Time waits for no one, and there is no guarantee that we'll ever get these exact moments back.
The truth is, I don't want my insecurities to be the reason I have so few pictures with my own children. I don't want to look back one day and realize that I was so busy waiting to love the way I looked that I missed out on documenting the life I was living.
And I know I'm not the only mama who feels this way.
As women, we can be so hard on ourselves. We convince ourselves that we'll get in the pictures when we look a certain way, when our skin clears up, when our hair cooperates, or when we finally reach that number on the scale. But what if we stopped waiting for a version of ourselves that we think is more picture-worthy and started embracing the woman we are right now?
God has given us these beautiful seasons of motherhood, and while they certainly aren't always easy, they are fleeting. Psalm 127:3 reminds us that “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” What a blessing it is to be their mama, even on the days when we don't feel our best.
I think sometimes we get so caught up in wanting everything to be perfect that we forget to be present in the blessings God has already placed in front of us. We don't need a perfect body, a perfect home, or a perfect day to capture the love that fills our lives.
One day, our children will look for pictures of us. They'll want to see what we looked like when we were young, how we held them, how we smiled at them, and what life looked like when they were little. They won't be examining our skin or worrying about the extra weight we carried. They'll be looking at the people who loved them most.
And let's not forget our husbands. I'm pretty sure they'll appreciate having a few pictures of us together, too. 😂
As a photographer, I truly believe pictures are one of the few things you will never regret investing in. The outfits will be outgrown, the toys will be forgotten, and the little details of everyday life will eventually fade from memory. But photographs give us something tangible to hold on to. They allow us to revisit seasons we didn't even realize we'd miss so much.
I'm not saying I've suddenly fallen in love with being in front of the camera. Let's not get carried away! 😂 I still see things I'd change when I look at my own pictures, and I'm sure I'll have those same thoughts next time, too. But I'm learning that my feelings about how I look shouldn't determine whether my family gets to have these memories.
And honestly, I'm so thankful we took the time to do these pictures. I'm excited to print them, hang them in our home, and see our little family captured in this season of life. I know I'll cherish them more with every passing year.
So, mama, if you've been putting off family pictures because you're waiting to feel more confident, consider this your little reminder. You don't have to wait until you lose the weight, clear up your skin, or feel like the best version of yourself. You are already part of the story worth remembering.
Let's stop waiting for the perfect season and start documenting the one we're in. God has given us today, and that's reason enough to get in the picture.
One day, you'll be so glad you did. And your babies will be, too. 🤍
