10 on 10 – February Edition: This lifestyle photographer’s family

February 10, 2012 | Filed Under Family, Personal

Have you ever embarked on something where you weren’t quite sure what to expect and then were totally blown away by all of the possibilities the opportunity provided? That is exactly how I felt with this new personal project for 2012. I’ve tried to take on other projects over the last couple of years, but I always fail to keep going because they have become too time consuming or I had to rely on someone else/they had to rely on me. This year’s project is entirely different. Sure, there are nine other women in my 10 on 10 group, but as far as what my pictures are of each month, well that purely rests on my shoulders. It’s an odd sense of freedom and creativity that sparked ideas for what I want to share each time.

For this month, however, I wanted to focus on what I love most: lifestyle photography. I love to shoot lifestyle because it captures people as they are in that moment in time; the times we don’t often get to be on the viewing side of so that we can remember life as it was. Sadly, while this is what I love most to shoot, I rarely take the time to shoot my own family in this way; hence why I’m starting here.

Saturdays are family days. We have worked hard to keep our Saturdays open as much as possible so that we can just lay around and enjoy being together. That’s what this series of photos is all about.

Okay, here it is: 10 on 10 February Edition – MY family. MY style. MY memories.

This particular Saturday evening started with a rousing game of Mickey Mouse UNO after dinner. My 3 1/2 year old is OBSESSED with Mickey Mouse. At last count he had 5 stuffed Mickey’s (including a Mickey Sing-A-Ma-Jig), a Mickey Pillow Pet, a Mickey blanket, a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and numerous plastic Mickey Mouse figurines. Like I said, obsessed! This game is perfect for them to play since my 6 1/2 year old is OBSESSED with playing games, UNO in particular. And of course, my 16 month old baby just loves to watch all the fun.
Lifestyle photography at it's best: capturing every family's memories

After the UNO game, they decided it was play time. They love their daddy, and they especially love to get rowdy with him. But as you can see, the baby hasn’t quite gotten to the point where he has to be in on that action. He’s perfectly content to ride his Mickey Mouse train (are you seeing a theme in this house?), or try to put the Wii control into the baseball bat, or to work at perfecting his throw-in for his future soccer years .
Akron, Ohio lifestyle photography: capturing my family's memories

And then, when it was time to settle down, this was what I found. They snuggled up together, unprompted, to read before bed. I love each of these little boogers more than words can express, and I really need to take the initiative to spend more time shooting these moments because THIS is what takes my breath away. THIS is what I want to remember when they are grown and gone from my home. THIS is what life is about.
Capturing every family's memories - my boys reading together

Now that you’ve enjoyed seeing my pictures, be sure to head over to New Hampshire Photographer Beth Philcrantz’s blog to check out her take on this month’s 10 on 10.

Share and Enjoy:

7 Comments

New year, new post (even though it’s a little late)

January 22, 2012 | Filed Under Personal

2011 ended with little more than a peep, which, for the record, is just the way I like it. After having had a stomach bug that didn’t want to leave our house for 3 weeks (which my husband unfairly managed to avoid altogether) we were anxious to be able to enjoy Christmas with health and just spending time together. This was the first year that we did an Advent calendar with our kids, and it was a HUGE success. Each day we had a little box that contained a Bible verse and a family activity (the idea for which I owe to a little obsession called Pinterest); my kids loved it. So much so, in fact, that we contemplated extending the idea as a daily devotion time with family activities for every day. We’re still trying to figure out how exactly that would work, and if it would detract from the specialness it had for us during the Christmas season.

Now, here we are 2/3 of the way through January and I realized that I have severely neglected my blog. In fact, I have neglected photography almost entirely. And quite honestly, I’ve been so busy with life that I don’t even know how I would fit it in right now. My responsibilities at my day job have expanded and every time I think things are about to slow down, they pick right back up. My husband’s job is changing some as his facility undergoes a slight expansion. We are involved in several church activities, and soon the two oldest boys will have baseball. If ever I felt as though there weren’t enough hours in the day, or days in the week, it is now.

And yet, amongst all of this, I am attempting to overhaul our family’s lifestyle. Eating habits, exercise habits, reliance on TV and video games, and the amount of time we spend plugged in with other things besides each other. It’s what we need. It’s what I need. And I know that it’s what God wants for our family. We are in a time of transition in the Roberts’ household. A transition that is necessary and requiring some sacrifice for the time being.

So what is the sacrifice? My photography business. Not entirely, but at least through the remainder of the winter and into the beginning of June. As I reflected on 2011 I realized how few pictures of my own children I had taken. And it made me sad. Like, cry bitter tears of regret sad. I NEED to recenter myself, restructure my priorities, and be sure that I am giving my family 150% of myself when I am with them. So I am stepping away from client sessions and shooting FOR ME throughout the next few months.

I have joined with an amazingly talented group of fellow photographers from 4 The Love of Focus in a personal project for 2012. Beginning on February 10 I will share my first “10 on 10.” Each month on the 10th of the month this group of 10 photographers will share images (I will share 10) from their lives.

I am excited, no, GIDDY to start this! It will be the first time in the last couple of years where I will get to be creative and pull my camera out just to capture the day to day. No special occasion, no incentive, no pressure. Just me, sharing my life, in 10 pictures on the 10th of each month in 2012. I hope you’ll stick around and join me in making 2012 about capturing the here and now of your own family. As a friend of mine shared this last week (she was rocking her son), “for a second I felt like there were so many other things I SHOULD be doing…like folding laundry & scrubbing toilets, but then I thought…when I’m 50, I will have all those things, but I won’t have this moment ever again.” Definitely a great thought to put things in perspective.

Here’s to a GREAT 2012!

Share and Enjoy: