Like most of the TMK team, I’m a pretty keen photographer. It’s not my day-to-day job (I’m a graphic designer) but, like most parents, I love to capture special family moments. And my worst habit is taking nearly all of my family snaps on my iPhone. That’s not a terrible thing. At least I have those memories recorded and I’ve even gone to the trouble of having some printed out. But those images aren’t the ones I cherish.
The images I love the most are when I’ve bothered to grab the ‘big camera’, tuck myself out the way somewhere and catch the kids at play, just doing their thing, the more ordinary the better. Taking a bath, eating noodles, messing about on the beach…no special occasion, but so many special moments. These are the in-between moments, the everyday moments, the thousand moments that add up to a happy family life. I don’t have many baby photos of my girls – I wasn’t so into photography then – and I yearn to remember the shape of their little baby feet and the toys they used to love. I genuinely can’t remember now and it’s too late.
Sure, it’s good to take a camera along with you on special occasions but….don’t wait. Don’t wait until everyone is together, until everyone is clean and tidy, until you’ve lost weight or had a haircut or whatever. Grab your camera and capture something ordinary. Your life is extraordinary.
Here are a selection of my favourite ‘everyday’ moments.
That last one isn’t even in focus and I don’t care. I love everything about it because who doesn’t love a naked photobomber?
So grab your cameras and get cracking, or better still, hire a professional photographer to come and hang out with you for a few hours, for no special reason, apart from capturing the ordinary/extraordinary moments. Check out the partner photographers in our sidebar there on the right. There’s bound to be someone in your neck of the woods.
I’d love to see some of your ordinary moments over on our Facebook page.
Melissa x
This post is linked to #ordinarymoments on Mummy Daddy Me Makes Three
