The Perks of a Being a Photographer
Being a photographer has meant that I’ve been able to take all of our maternity, fresh 48, and newborn photos in the comfort of our own home, during the times when I actually had the energy. Honestly, it’s been the best approach for both my husband and me. Being able to just set things up and take photos at the last minute—simply because we both had the energy and didn’t need to worry about planning ahead—gave us the freedom to be more relaxed and truly enjoy the process.
Now, I’m sure if we have more kids down the road, chances are we will hire a photographer to come in. Setting up a camera is going to be much harder with a toddler running around!
Navigating Privacy in a Digital World
One of the things I didn’t realize I would feel so strongly about going into motherhood as a photographer was whether or not we’d be sharing our children’s faces on the internet. After much consideration and prayer, both my husband and I agreed it would be wise to keep our daughter’s face and identity hidden for her own privacy. When she gets older and is able to make those decisions for herself as an adult, she can. But for now, keeping her face hidden is how we’ve chosen to go about things. For me as a photographer, this means I still get to take pictures of those cute, chubby cheeks and soft smiles, but I have to be creative in how I capture her when sharing updates.
Finding Creativity in the Details
Honestly, I kind of like the challenge of not just taking pictures of her face. It forces me to look at all the different aspects of being her mama—from her bottles, blankets, toys, and books, to her little outfits and accessories. Capturing it all has allowed me to grow in my photography skills just as much as I’m growing in my role as her mom.
Mind you, this also means I need way more storage for my photos because there are twice as many! I have all the cute face photos for myself, and the rest for here… and also for me.
I will admit, though, it has been a struggle some days not to post about her in a way that identifies who we are to people outside of our closest circle.
Why I Decided to Start This Blog
We made the decision not to announce my pregnancy online either. So, when I took our maternity photos, there was a part of me that felt sad that no one outside of our immediate circle was going to see them. That was until I felt the pull to start this blog. While I’m not entirely sure what will come of it, both my husband and I feel confident that it’s safe to share this journey of motherhood and entrepreneurship through photos that don’t show faces. Which is great, because I’m proud of those maternity photos and, as a photographer, I want to share them!
Capturing the Moment Before It Was Too Late
So, here is the first photoshoot that helped me embrace motherhood. By that, I mean I was originally on the fence about even taking them. Pregnancy was not an easy road for me but that’s a story for another time. However, at the end of my second trimester, I went into threatened preterm labour and ended up having contractions that were progressing. Thankfully, they stopped before it was too late and I was able to carry to full term, but it made me want to be absolutely sure that I captured my pregnancy before it was over. I didn’t want a panicked picture in a hospital room to be the only maternity photo I had.
So, here are a few of my favourites from the shoot we did at home with a tripod.
