As a family photographer and proud Messy Momma, I cannot stress enough the importance of capturing the ordinary moments in your family's life. These moments may seem mundane at the time, but they hold immense beauty and value when captured in a photograph. Photographs of everyday moments such as cooking dinner, playing games, or simply spending time together can become treasured memories that you and your family can look back on with fondness for years to come. Not only do these photographs capture a moment in time, but they also serve as a reminder of the love and connection that exists within your family. As a photographer, I encourage families to embrace the ordinary and capture those moments that may seem insignificant, for it is often those moments that hold the most meaning. So, let's create some beautiful memories together and capture the ordinary moments that make your family unique.
First and foremost, capturing the ordinary moments in your family's life helps to create a more complete and authentic family story. While milestone events are certainly important, they don't necessarily give a full picture of what life is like on a day-to-day basis. Capturing everyday moments like family dinners, bedtime stories, and lazy Saturday mornings can help to paint a more accurate picture of your family's life and the relationships that make it special. These ordinary moments can often hold just as much emotion, meaning, and memory as the big events, and looking back on them can be just as powerful and nostalgic.
In addition to helping create a more complete family story, capturing the ordinary moments in your family's life can also help to strengthen your family bond. Taking the time to document and reflect on the everyday moments can help to cultivate gratitude and appreciation for the small things in life. It can also serve as a reminder to slow down and savor the simple moments, rather than getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. When you look back on these moments, you'll be able to see just how far you've come as a family and how much you've grown together over time.
So, how can you go about capturing the ordinary moments in your family's life? Here are a few tips:
Let's face it, sometimes the most memorable moments in our lives are the ones that are a little bit ridiculous. Whether it's a spontaneous family dance party in the kitchen or a messy movie night popcorn disaster that ends up being hilarious in hindsight, these moments are the ones that we'll look back on and laugh about for years to come.
- Keep your camera handy: First things first, the best ways to capture everyday moments is to simply have your camera or phone ready to snap a quick pic when the opportunity arises.
- Don't force it: With the perfection that comes with Instagram and Facebook, it can be hard not to want those perfect cookie cutter photos. Be present, in order to capture the beauty of everyday moments, it's important to be fully present and engaged in the moment yourself. Take a deep breath and focus on the people and moments around you.
- Embrace the Messy Momma Moments: Instead of trying to find the cleanest part of your house and wrangle everyone into perfect poses and pristine outfits, embrace the chaos that comes with motherhood and capture the messy, imperfect moments. These are often the ones that end up being the most authentic and cherished
- Get silly: Encourage your family to let loose and be silly in front of the camera. Whether it's making funny faces or striking goofy poses, these moments will capture your family's unique personalities and sense of humor.
- Don't take it too seriously: Remember, family photography isn't one size fits all. Have fun with it and don't worry too much about getting the perfect shot. Sometimes the outtakes and bloopers are the best ones.
- Get creative: Think outside the box and come up with fun and unique ways to capture everyday moments. Get the kids involved and invite them to spit out some ideas for what they think might be fun. You might be surprised with their creativity. Maybe they want to set up a photo booth in the toy room or have a flower fight in the kitchen while making cookies. And don't forget to zoom in. Maybe you are outside coloring with chalk... get in there and take a picture of those colorful hands, because in that moment, thats the smallest they will ever be.
- AND MOST IMPORTANTLY- Get in the frame: Don't be afraid to hand your camera off to someone else and get in the frame yourself. If you don't have anyone around, prop your phone up and simply take a video of your family interacting. You can screenshot those moments later. Your family will appreciate having photos of you in these everyday moments just as much as you'll appreciate having photos of them.
At the end of the day, capturing the ordinary moments in your family's life is about more than just taking photos. It's about creating memories, strengthening your family bond, having fun together along the way, and serve as a powerful reminder of the beauty and meaning in everyday life. So, don't be afraid to let your silly side show and capture those lighthearted moments with your camera. Your family will thank you for it, and you'll have a blast doing it- you never know which ordinary moments will turn out to be the most meaningful and memorable ones of all.