The Photographer's Curse

There are two things that are a common challenge for a photographer.

The first is feeling the need to be A Photographer all the time. We put so much pressure on ourselves to make every shot the best we can, including and not limited to family snapshots. I use to carry my little point and shoot camera with me from room to room, throw it in my purse, always have it handy for any and every little moment that I wanted to remember. And I took hundreds of pictures each month. I filled my scrapbook with far-from-perfect shots that I still love to go back and look at, to remember those moments.

But since becoming a professional, my personal photos are dwindling. It's very sad really. My little point and shoot camera hasn't been touched in years, except by my playful and semi-destructive 5 year old. And my professional camera hardly fits in my purse! I just don't do snapshots anymore, because I feel so much self-pressure to make every image I capture professional quality. And sometimes, often times, in the blur of our hectic every day lives, professional quality just isn't going to happen. I don't have time to figure the camera settings, analyze the light and reshape it, eliminate clutter in the background, and dab that spot of ketchup left on my little subject's face. Or I don't even have a camera handy! But then I miss the moments that matter ... my son handing his new baby sister a toy, my husband having a mini-food fight with his kids, or my daughter meeting her great grandmother for the first time.

So guess what! I'm charging up that point and shoot camera and giving it a new home in my purse! I'm keeping my pro camera set to Auto and ready to shoot, pop-up flash and everything! Don't miss the moments, friends. They really do go by in a blink.

The second challenge for a photographer is actually being IN a family snapshot every now and then. I look back through my scrapbooks and love seeing how we've all grown and changed. But where am I in those shots? Behind the camera of course!!

This weekend, cuddling with Erica as we watched the sunset at my dad's house, it occured to me that she was already a month old. One month old and I had not appeared in a photo with her since we left the hospital! I told my husband that she might not believe her Mommy was around these early months if someone else didn't take the photos every now and then. Thankfully he takes hints well. :) This is one of the images that my husband captured. I just love it and wanted to share. He's learned so much about photography in the last few years ... I'm really proud of this image and I hope he is too! And most of all, I will treasure this image ... just one of many moments in which I fell more in love with my daughter.