Picture Perfect? Sponsored Post

Want to take the ‘perfect picture‘ of your child?  Don’t plan on it….

We’ve all been there. We want to capture our children by taking the ‘perfect picture’. We plan outfits. We choose a location. We choose a time. We anticipate. We stress. Some of us might even sweat. Many times we walk away disappointed…maybe even empty handed. I’ve noticed lately that my favorite images of my own children are coming from times when I ‘don’t plan on it’.

Recently I took some pictures of my son that I love and will treasure forever. I had been wanting to capture him in his nursery because it was time to pack up the crib and move him into his big boy room. I had attempted to do this two times before. I had picked out his outfit, chosen a time and told him we were going to take some pictures in his room. I did get some images but none that ‘tugged at my mommy heartstrings‘. I was too focused on getting ‘the perfect picture’ and that was making me uptight and in turn making him not so interested in my little task. Those images look too staged and he didn’t look like his usual fun and lighthearted self.

The images shown here are from my 3rd attempt. It was spontaneous. We were both in a good mood and having fun and I simply asked him if he wanted to go upstairs with me and play in his room. We started playing and having fun. We were both relaxed and just being ourselves. The camera just seemed to become an extension of me…not that big black scary thing in front of mommy’s face. He looks like himself in these images. He holds the expressions that I want to remember forever. They also captured a memory of the two of us just having fun together.

I don’t mean to imply that proper planning doesn’t have it’s place because it definitely does. I certainly do a lot of planning before my sessions with clients. I’m just suggesting that you might be rewarded with some ’mommy-heartstring-tugging’ pictures when you least expect it. Keep your camera close and your battery charged. Be spontaneous and capture those real moments when your children are being themselves and making all of those expressions you love. Relax. Have fun.

Do you know what my son said to me after we were done taking pictures and were back downstairs? “Mama….you wanna go back upstairs and take pictures with me ‘gain?”

To this mommy, that is perfection.

 

Nance Heidemann is a mentor at Clickin Moms and a professional photographer and owner of Nance Heidemann Photography in Kansas City.

 

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