{Mama, get in the photo} - Lehigh Valley Family Photographer, Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton Family Photographer
Hey there mama - I see you. You’re tired, you’re overwhelmed. You don’t feel attractive anymore, let alone sexy. The last thing you want is to be in the photo. When you see yourself in photos, you pick yourself apart. You aren’t as thin as you used to be; you have lines you didn’t use to have; your hair is thinning; {insert 1 million self deprecating other reasons here}.
I understand you. At 4 months post-partum, there is nothing I like when I look in the mirror. Ok, I have fabulous hair. But nothing I own fits. Even when I go shopping and try on things two sizes larger, everything sucks right to my belly. As a woman with PCOS, my belly has always been THE problem area on my body. Now, with the addition of a recent pregnancy, it’s simply out of control.
Let me repeat - I don’t like how I look. Despite that, I still get in front of the camera.
Think about photos you have of your family growing up - is your mom in the photos? If she is, aren’t you so grateful for them? If she isn’t, aren’t you sad she wasn’t? Although it seems like photos these days are just for Facebook, they’re for so much more than that. I had maternity photos done, my birth photographed, and an in home newborn session where I was the main prop - holding my sweet baby girl. I don’t like how I look, but when my daughter is grown she will cherish those photos. They’re my love letter to her.
My daughter doesn’t see what I see when I look in the mirror. She doesn’t think her mom is fat, or not as thin as she used to be, or that she’s aged. Emelia sees HER MAMA; She sees me, inside and out, and I am her everything right now, as she is mine. When she’s older, she will not look at photos of us together, the joy on my face, the connection between us and think “Man, my mama is looking a little chunky here.” All of this is in our heads. Every fear we hold that keeps us from being in front of the camera usually boils down to us being disappointed when we see ourselves. The reality is, we see ourselves everyday. What we don’t always get to see the way our baby looks into our eyes - what it looks like to have him or her wrapped in our arms. How small he or she looks laying next to us. All the wonderful, special, sweet moments we miss out on when we’re too busy obsessing with an extra fat roll or another eye line. It’s so sad!
But when we re-frame what photos are about - what they are REALLY about (and no, they aren’t about showing off a ‘perfect’ life on Facebook) - we realize that these photos aren’t even for us. They’re for our children. They are a legacy, they are a gift and a treasure.
Mamas, your babies want you in the photos. Be brave, for them. This isn’t about you. Whether you hire a professional photographer, or hand your husband a point and shoot, or prop your cell phone for a cellfie, think of every photo as a gift your child deserves to have of their mama who is every bit of perfect to them.
I can’t promise that you will LOVE how you will look in your photos. I won’t photoshop 20 lbs away, nor can I magically take off years. But what I can promise is that you will love the love between you and your babies, and they will love it too. They will beam with pride having photos of them being loved on by their mama, and they will treasure those photos for years to come.
Mama, get in the photo.
Kristin with an I Photography currently has a select number of snuggle sessions available to display the love and connection between you and your babies. Please email: hello@kristin-with-an-i.com to claim a spot!