,

Candid Love

As someone who loves to take photos I often find myself behind the camera as opposed to in front of the lens. I love adjusting the settings in manual to get the perfect aperture, shutter speed & ISO. I also recently started shooting in RAW which means a much larger file size but also a lot more control post production. So when I hand over the camera to my husband with the correct settings I am hoping for another great photo - this time with me in it.

We were at a gorgeous location in the open space near our house. The sun was just starting to set in that delicious "golden hour" so many photographers chase. I had already got the shot I was hoping for of P for our Christmas cards and now I just wanted some of her and me.

David snapped away and as the sun sank further into the hills we packed up and hiked back down to our car. There has to be just one in there I thought.

When I slipped the SD card into my computer everything about the pictures was beautiful. I set it up just as it should be but when I looked at the photos all I could see was me.

I could see a pooch of my stomach, roots desperately needing touch up, and one chin too many. Pres looked so adorable I was bummed I didn't look the same.
Then the more I looked at it the more I sort of loved it. I was so wrapped up in my insecurities it took me a moment to see the magic in the photo. 

I rather have some slight imperfections (that I am assured are most visible to my own harsh eye) in photos than miss moments being in them. I know when P looks at all these pictures she won't see a mom who was insecure. She will see a mama loving her baby girl more than anything in the world.

Now that's truly worth a thousand words. 


loading..

19 comments

  1. Jessica KesslerDecember 1, 2015 at 4:29 AM

    Beautiful picture!! I am often behind the camera instead of in front too and I miss out on getting pictures with my favs. I need to be better about that. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. becomingthewilkinsonsDecember 1, 2015 at 5:16 AM

    I think this is something all moms struggle with - especially me! Kudos to your husband for getting some good pictures :) It would be a Christmas miracle for my husband to think to take a picture (candid or otherwise) of Natalie and me. I basically have to bribe him haha

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ally- Life as I know itDecember 1, 2015 at 5:51 AM

    We're our worst critics and only see our flaws. But no one else does especially Presley who just sees her beautiful loving mother. That's a framer for sure!
    Ally - Life as I know it

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ashley BricknerDecember 1, 2015 at 6:38 AM

    Great post (that we cal ALL relate to!) and beautiful pic!!! You are gorgeous, mama!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cait | Home Sweet RubyDecember 1, 2015 at 6:48 AM

    So so true friend! I've been the same way about not wanting to be in photos because I'm so insecure and because of that, we have a million photos of Rowan but few of me with him! Kudos to your husband for taking that gorgeous photo, even if you helped him! :) My husband manages to make them blurry no matter how fast my shutter speed is!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jen Brown {Baking Baby Brown}December 1, 2015 at 8:13 AM

    Psh. You are gorgeous and don't ever think otherwise! Easier said than done, I know. And I should probably take my own advice. Lol. I see a whole lotta love in this picture! And a mother daughter bond that is strong and beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Laura Marie KeenanDecember 1, 2015 at 9:19 AM

    I can so relate! I love being in pictures with my boys, but I so often only notice in an unflattering chin & my ridiculously tired eyes. Our children do not notice those things though. Such a beautiful picture!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jess BeerDecember 1, 2015 at 11:44 AM

    Yes! I think we're all so hard on ourselves, but P won't see any of what you do - just her loving mama!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sara McCartyDecember 1, 2015 at 12:40 PM

    Yes yes yes yes yes!!!! Love this photo! You look so happy and lovely!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Desiree MackeDecember 1, 2015 at 4:27 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Desiree MackeDecember 1, 2015 at 4:29 PM

    Amen, amen, amen. This echoes so many of my thoughts with our family photos this year. It took a while (and some prompting from a certain blogging group) to really *see* the photos.
    This is such a gorgeous photo of the two of you!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. MeghanDecember 1, 2015 at 5:30 PM

    You look beautiful and I don't notice any of those things! But I know what you mean! We always see our own flaws right away whenever looking at a photo, I think it's pretty common.

    ReplyDelete
  13. elle joDecember 2, 2015 at 6:11 AM

    You are gorgeous mama! Presley is so lucky to have you as a mother. Don't be so hard on yourself, nothing is more beautiful than a mother who loves her child.

    liz @ sundays with sophie

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hall Around TexasDecember 2, 2015 at 6:57 AM

    I think most mamas can relate to your feelings. But, I have to say that I don't see any of the things that you did. Beautiful photo and beautiful post!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. JillianDecember 2, 2015 at 5:15 PM

    i think you BOTH look beautiful. and I am sure presley will love having photos with her mama when she's older xo jillian - cornflake dreams

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ashley GDecember 2, 2015 at 5:59 PM

    Such a beautiful picture Laura! Everyone is their own harshest critic, but all I see are two beautiful ladies in this photo!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Evelina @ Fortunate HouseDecember 2, 2015 at 6:19 PM

    You look great in that photo! This is a beautiful message, one that I definitely should live as well

    ReplyDelete
  18. Caley-Jade RosenbergDecember 2, 2015 at 11:22 PM

    WOW!!! What a beautiful photo and an even more beautiful realisation x

    ReplyDelete
  19. JeannieDecember 7, 2015 at 2:53 PM

    Many of us struggle with how we look in the picture, we are our own worst critics. Over time, I found that having those pics with loved ones helped create a beautiful story. You have a nice picture and it will bring fond memories.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)