I was an occasional picture taker up until I had my girls. The first couple years, my picture-taking definitely picked up, but I mostly aimed at capturing the "highlights" of the baby and toddler stages and the "special occasions" of life in general. Fast forward another year or two down the road, and I was slowly beginning to realize that my memory was not as good as I thought it was. Although it's been claimed that an elephant never forgets, the busy mom certainly does! The cute little faces, moments, mannerisms, and quirks that I thought were permanently stamped on the forefront of my mind instead were disappearing way back into the dusty recesses - without me even realizing it.
It all became clear to me at some point while I was going through old pictures. The memories slowly starting to return, and I couldn't believe how much I had forgotten and how quickly the memories flooded back when I saw a picture. I also couldn't help but wonder how many things I'd forgotten, maybe permanently, with nothing to prompt the return of my memory. I became determined to capture everything. I began to snap random action shots; I offered bribes for some "please look at mommy" pictures; I grabbed my camera first when I had those "I'm going to be able to laugh at this later" moments before I dealt with the not-so-funny-in-the-moment situation.
With practice, patience, research, and a lovely little surprise gift of my Nikon D5000 from my husband, the quality and substance of my pictures began to improve. Eventually, it got to the point where I stopped going to studios because I could do just as good or better on my own. I'll admit it, I've gotten pretty obsessed with taking pictures. It's fun for me, and I love the lasting results. I can't go anywhere without thinking of what things would look like through the lens of my camera. Today, the family joke is that we can't do anything or go anywhere without a certain little phrase popping out of my mouth: "Let me take a picture." My philosophy is that today is the last day they will be this young. Tomorrow, there will be new and different memories to capture. So, let me take your picture. Let me help you hold on to your memories. Let me capture your greatest treasures on earth - your loved ones - because they're only this young once.
