I have always been “a photographer” in one form or another. When I was in school, I never found myself at an event or hang out without my camera. As a nanny, I found myself constantly taking ridiculous amounts of photos throughout the day to give to the parents. I didn’t want them to miss a thing! For any holiday or milestone that warranted a gift, I never felt that there was any better gift than something photo related. I mean, after all… is there anything better than giving someone an awesome emotional experience?!
So when I started having children, it was no surprise to anyone that I became some people’s social media nightmare… the mom that is constantly posting a million photos of her ADORABLE kids!! Sorry, not sorry. I LOVE photographing my family. And more than photographing them, I LOVE scrolling through the neverending folders of digital files that I keep of all of my favorite people. And I love every single image.
I have made three attempts, and never made it all the way through… but my ultimate goal is to complete a Project 365. Taking a photo every day for an entire year. While I’ve never finished, I have so much fun looking through the images that I’ve taken. And the theme across each project is the same. It really pushes you to take hold of at least one moment every day. Good or bad. The saying “the days are long, but the years are short” is no joke. To be able to sit and reflect and laugh with my husband and my friends over these photos that I have taken over the years is priceless. I will never stop shooting.
These trips down “digital memory lane” have sparked a new goal… to PRINT AS MANY PHOTOS AS POSSIBLE!! I’ve already started. I’ve gone to Michael’s and started a collection of archival print boxes. I’ve found a few apps that print good quality images from my social media accounts. And my kids have already started digging through them. And while I’m panicking at them that they “are going to ruin all of mommy’s special photos!” I remind myself that that’s the entire point, right? To provide them with memories and images that they will sort through in 20 or 30 years with their own friends or families and enjoy the same laughs and nostalgia that we do now. Technology is changing every day. And the way we view photos changes right along with it. There is no way to know how, where and if your digital files will even be readable in the technological future. So print your photos, friends. Take a lot of photos. Print them, hold them and enjoy them.
