Why would a mother invite a photographer into her home first thing in the morning to take pictures of the mundane details that make up the early hours of the day? To answer this question, I will show you this:
And this:
And this:
I am not knocking the more commonly seen, scheduled family photos, but there is a beauty in motherhood, in life, that just isn’t reflected in those planned poses and moments.
Our mornings are not exciting. We get up, (easier said than done as I am often exhausted from only 4 hours of sleep after working a later night shift), we eat, we snuggle, we start our day. I don’t cook gourmet breakfasts. When the weather is nice, we do end up outside fairly early where my dogs clamor for as much attention as my kids. Sometimes my husband is there, sometimes he is already at work. We are a family. It is that simple.
Except it is more than that. It is MINE. It is my days, my life, my family, my perfection and my heart.
And funny enough, when I received these pictures from the photographer, Kati Best** at Kandid.ly, I learned something about myself as a mother. I know I have intense love for my kids, but what I didn’t realize is how often I touch them and give them smooches. It made me smile to see this. I am proud of the fact that I am open with my affection for them. And how amazing to have that documented on film.
So, that is why a mother SHOULD invite a photographer into her home (and/or life) to capture that feeling of contentment, family and connection. To create witness to the beauty of the relationships that we have with our children. The unaffected, everyday beauty.
The pictures I have from my childhood mean a lot to me. There are posed pictures of my family beneath the magnolia tree each year at Easter time. And those are fun to look at. But, the ones I have framed… the ones that mean the most to me now are the ones where I can actually see my childhood. There is no questioning the love my parents had for me, the fun we had together and the joy that was like an undercurrent through it all. Those emotions are what truly make candid photography a gift.
If I were asked to define motherhood it would be that feeling you get when your kids snuggle in 100% and hold on to you tightly as if there is no place where they end and you begin. It is magic how they just fit. You can hold someone else’s child, but it doesn’t feel the same, they don’t melt into you in quite the same way. Can someone else brush my kid’s teeth in the morning? Can someone else balance my 4 year old on their hip while fixing breakfast? Absolutely. Could they do it with the same essence and emotion that I invest in all things I do with and for my kids? Nope… that is motherhood.
Kandid.ly is an amazing service that looks to pair local photographers with families in the area in an effort to help them capture life’s moments while enjoying them too. Their website is easy to navigate and a great way to connect with affordable photography services designed to give you memories of your life, both big and small. Birthday parties, a trip to a local farmer’s market, a picnic in the park or as this series highlights… even documenting life at it’s most basic. Kandid.ly gives you quality prints and a professional experience at a price that will keep you coming back for more.
