Getting "Mom" Into the Picture

Recently on the "How to photography your baby" Facebook page, Nick Kelsh discussed the "Missing Mom" photo challenge.  He brought up the fact that since a lot of Moms are the "family photographer" there is very little evidence of their existence in pictures.  I'm sure a lot of Moms can relate to this.  Tons of pictures of the kids, pictures of the kids with Dad but try and find a picture of you with your kids or just one of yourself and it will take some time to find one.

I shared that post on my Facebook wall and added this comment. 

" A timely post, especially with Mother's Day approaching, for all of us Moms out there, especially those of us who tend to play the role of family photography....Get in front of the lens, your kid(s) want to see pictures of you too:).  Looking forward to "seeing" you.  And yes I'll post a pic too.  And to the Dads out there.. the camera won't bite, feel free to pick it up once in awhile..yes camera phone pics are acceptable too LOL.

It is of no surprise that I am the family photographer in the house so yes I take more pictures than I am in.  Last year I booked a Mom and Me photo session for Rachael and I just to get some pictures of the two of us.  My husband's response, "Why would you pay someone to take your picture when we own a good camera?"  Hmm let's see because you hardly ever take a picture of us?  Anyway I went ahead with the session and it was worth every penny.

My husband has started to pick up the camera a bit more now.. I'm sure due in part to me whining about not being in pictures.  He is pretty good about taking a picture of me if I ask him too but I hate having to ask to have my picture taken...the spontaneity is gone and the picture comes off looking very posed.  My favorite pictures of him with our daughter are the many lovely candid shots I have taken of the two of them.  I always feel like a fly on the wall, just observing them.  The result: True emotion.  You can feel the love between the two of them and that isn't something you can just turn on for a photo op.

So how can you get yourself into the picture.  Here are some things that I have done to make the effort to be in more pictures.

1) Find someone to take your picture.  Now I don't mean having professional pictures done.  I'm certainly not against that and I have done that many times.  But professional pictures cost money.  I love posed professional pictures but what I want are more candid in the moment, lifestyle pictures of myself with my daughter.  So ask your spouse, a friend, your child if they are old enough to take a picture for you. 

I have been shooting in manual for a year now.  What I will do is set up my camera and then hand it off.  If you shoot in manual just make sure that you show your spouse etc how to adjust the focus spot so that you and your subject will be in focus.  As long as your spouse etc is a willing helper this is a wonderful method.  I tend to take a few pictures in order to get the "perfect" one.  My husband is not always willing to take that many shots.

I set up the camera and then I handed it off to my husband.  This is one of my favorite pictures of my Mom and I.

2) Tripod and the Camera's Self-Timer.  This is a great way to get into the picture and all you need is you.  I don't enjoy setting up the tripod as it takes me a bit of time to adjust it to the right height and then a few test shots to ensure that my picture will turn out.  A lot of extra work to take a picture.  And then the dash from the camera to your position in front of the camera before the shutter goes off delays some of the naturalness of your pose.  But if this is your only option it works well and gets the job done.

 

3) Tripod and Remote Shutter Release.  I prefer this method to using the camera's self-timer as I can position myself and then take the picture when I want  to.  The one drawback is hiding the remote so that no one will be able to tell that you used it to take the picture.  On my camera I can set a delay of 2s. which gives me enough time to get the remote out of my hand and out of sight before the picture is taken.  If you have a child., put them in charge of using the remote.  Rachael loves my remote and will take picture after picture after picture.  Thank goodness for digital.

 

Taken by using a tripod and a remote shutter release

 

Rachael took this picture of the three of us and look how proud she is.

 

4) Interval Timer Shooting.  This function is only available on certain camera models so you will have to check your camera's manual.  It is a function on my d7100 but not on my d3100. In short this allows you to set your camera to take a number of shots in a given time period.  I haven't used this function a lot yet.  This will serve create more natural in the moment shots.  The drawback will be having so many shots to sort through. I think I may try this next Christmas so that I can just sit back and enjoy the morning and still get some pictures of the morning.

  

This was my first attempt at using Interval Timer Shooting

 

So there you have it Moms there are ways to ensure that you can be in the picture.  Don't worry about what you look like or what you wearing etc.  I can guarantee that your child/children won't notice any of those things.  They will just be so happy to see a picture of themselves with you, their Mom.

 

To my fellow Mom friends...I hope all of you have a wonderful Mother's Day and I hope that you succeed in getting in front of the camera more often.