It won’t surprise you to know that I take a lot of photos of my babies. (Ok, they’re toddlers now, so I should call them kids. But, you know, they’ll always be my babies.) I think it’s a given that most moms do (my husband doesn’t take many–does yours?). What with the proliferation of smartphones, we’ve all got cameras in our pockets 24/7. I take a ton of crappy phone shots of my boys, but often they’re blurry (due to a) terrible lighting in our house, b) my apparently-unstable hands, and, c) well, the fact that I’m attempting to photograph two always-moving toddlers), or I don’t like the angle/perspective or depth of field. I know how I want my photos to look, and the smartphone is sometimes *not* as smart as I am when it comes to photography. So I never forget to pick up my big camera too.
Additionally, there’s been a recent rise in the field of documentary family photography–unposed photo stories that show a family or kids just doing their thing. I did a session like this earlier this year, and lately I’ve been doing a bit more of that with my own family. Again, I’ve been taking casual photos of them since they were born, and monthly growth photos for two years, and family self-portraits, but now I’m being a bit more deliberate. It can be tough to balance too many photos and not enough. I don’t want to live life behind a lens, but I do love recording family moments. So I try not to pick up my camera *every* time they do something interesting…but if they keep going for awhile then I give it a try. 🙂
So today I’m sharing two mini stories of my kids doing kid things. I think these photos will be really fun memories for all of us years from now. And I hope they will inspire you to take some deliberate photos of your little ones living their life! Grab those moments and experiences for posterity!
First up: a few weeks ago, I took out the old pack n play to see if they would still fit in it…and about three minutes later, they started climbing out of it! This makeshift jungle gym entertained them for a good 10-15 minutes, so I had plenty of time to grab a few funny shots as they clambered and giggled.
And a quick phone shot of the ‘after’! 
Another afternoon, I showed them a “new game”: small whiteboards and markers, so they could practice drawing and coloring. They were super into it, and were really concentrating and focusing on their work. It was adorable! It will be exciting to watch their progress with fine motor skills and drawing as they get older, so I will be sure to keep taking occasional photos like this.
