How Motherhood Strengthened My Photography

motherhood.  it is the teacher of many things.  in a way, we become different people when we become mamas.  for me, i became more sensitive, more insightful and a little more thankful for the little things…like quiet mornings by myself with a cup of coffee before the baby wakes.  motherhood shapes us into better versions of ourselves as we raise our tiny humans.  while a lot of the things that motherhood has taught me have been personal, the way in which motherhood strengthened my photography is very much visual as well.  when i became a mama, having my photography improve was the last thing i expected.  but it did.  in many ways, it did.

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How Motherhood Strengthened My Photography

1. I Pick Up My Camera More

while i was pretty good at picking up my camera before my daughter was born, i definitely pick it up even more now.  there are so many photographable moments, as she masters new skills or learns something new for the very first time…all begging to be photographed.  while motherhood strengthened my photography by encouraging me to pick up my camera more, it has also taught me to photograph quickly to not only capture the moment fast, but to also then set my camera down and live in the moment as well.  while i love to get pictures to remember her in the years ahead, i also want to remain present.

2. I Embrace Realism

before having a baby, i had time to tidy up rooms before photographing.  but motherhood strengthened my photography in that i am encouraged to embrace the realism of life, mess and all.  i am able to find the beauty in a messy face or a spilled basket of blocks.  it has also taught me how to use my camera to photograph such messes in a beautiful way.  for the photo above, i used my sigma art 24mm f/1.4 lens at f/1.4 to place my focus on my daughter, yet still showcase the blur of toys in the background.  i adore that the mess of toys is still visible, yet beautifully muted.

3. I Get in The Frame More

listen, as wonderful as husbands are, they just don’t have the artistic vision that we do.  and that’s okay, they aren’t photographers.  but it is important to me that i am in photographs with my daughter too, and that i actually like them.  mamas, you have to do it yourself.  if you want the photo, take the time to take it!  set up that tripod, get a wireless remote (they are so affordable), and get in picture with your kids.  stop waiting for your husband or mother or friend to ask, “can i take your picture with the kids,” because they won’t.  it’s not because they don’t want to, it’s because they don’t think to as you do.  that’s what makes us photographers!

 check out how easy using a remote to take self portraits with a dslr really is.

4. I Relaxed About Editing

motherhood strengthened my photography and my editing.  before being a mama, i would go to bed each night all caught up on editing.  yeah, well that is not the case any more.  ain’t nobody got time for that!  but let me tell you, being behind on editing was probably the best thing that ever happened for my photography.  when i did find the time to catch up in my lightroom catalog, it allowed me to go back in time to months earlier and relive those moments again.  it also allowed me to love my images more because, even though imperfect, they contained such rich moments.  if i would have edited right away, i would have deleted so many pictures because they weren’t “perfect.”  when you wait a little to edit, you see the images for what they are and not what they aren’t.  plus, your baby has grown in the mean time and you can’t retake those photos, which makes you appreciate the ones you have that much more, imperfections and all.

are you behind on editing?  it’s okay, we all are.  here are 4 tips for catching up on editing when you are really behind.

5. I’ve Learned To Accept Imperfection

probably one of the biggest, and arguably most important, ways motherhood strengthened my photography has been by allowing me to accept some imperfection.  some.  can i just say, i lose sleep over imperfection.  it’s my flaw.  i strive for perfection (i know, i know…you are shaking your head at me. trust me, i am shaking my head too).  it’s just the way that i am.  but photographing my daughter is showing me how much more important the moment is rather then the perfect exposure, composition, or white balance.  i am learning to accept the photos where i slightly missed the focus, yet the smile on her face is irreplaceable.  or the photos where i accidentally let her toe slip out of the frame instead of placing it inside.  motherhood is teaching me that moments, imperfect or perfect, are moments.  and it’s better to have an imperfect photo of a smiling baby than no photo at all.

also, i read emily ley’s grace not perfection book.  it’s amazing.  if you stress over perfection, like me, read this book!

6. I Am Portraying More Emotion in My Images

motherhood has strengthened my photography in that i am more passionate about expressing emotion in my photographs with and of my daughter.  not only do i want to photograph her growth, i want to photograph the emotion that comes with it.  i want my photographs to take me back to the moment and the feelings that moment created.  like how she loves to reach up and touch my face and how, just that simple act, makes my entire world right.  or how she is infatuated with her toes and loves to play with them.  i now approach photography with emotion in mind.

need some help capturing emotion?  check out photographing love : 5 ways to portray emotion.

7.  I Am Learning More About Light

while my love for bright light will always be strong, i am learning that the photographable moments don’t always wait for the ideal light.  because i want to photograph all of her moments, i am learning how to use the light that i am given instead of missing the moment.  this may mean raising my ISO beyond my comfort level, or lowering my aperture to bring in more light to my camera.  it’s teaching me more than ever that manual mode is the only way to go if you want full control over light.

it’s funny how, as i sit down to write, i realize how motherhood strengthened my photography is so many ways and how it will continue to do so.  if you were a photographer before having children, do you feel the same way?  did you find that your photography changed, in one way or another, after having children?  i would love to hear about your experiences, please leave any stories in the comment section for us to read!

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