Preserve your memories
How tiny she was when she discovered her love for waves and boogie boarding.
Are you someone who takes lots of photos with the phone with the big hope to capture something meaningful or sharp? Or are you clicking less, but with intention. Do you ask yourself what purpose that photo will serve?
Let's take the photo above. My daughter loved the surf since she was on a boogie board for the first time at the age of two. Ever since every time we traveled to New Zealand beaches in summer she gets out with Dad and will ride on the waves. Here, I followed them into the water and dug down at her height. I wanted to capture the size of the waves and her size compared to her Dad. I can see her anticipation and excitement by the way she holds out her arm and fingers. That is so her.
Another beach in New Zealand. Another year.
Who knows whether she will become a passionate surfer one day, but I got the urge to document her being in that element. Without our travel diaries or even those photos, I can not remember the places and beaches we went to and when.
Talking to other parents I often hear that they don't know how and what to capture. What matters to you? What is your child's personality like, or her passion? What does she love doing? Try to find out what it is and then we get to look at how to capture your child's true personality.
Me, personally, I do prefer personality-loaded photos over fake smiley ones. In fact, at photo sessions, I specifically ask my families not to look to the camera unless I ask for it. And that is mostly only for the few posed portraits.
Father and children having fun.
Usually I put my families in the scene I have in mind and then I ask them for certain interaction, depending on their personalities and ideas and my vision.