These are the last two pictures I have of my dad before he passed away. Christmas 2011.
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A few months later on March 9, 2011, he would suffer a massive heart attack. Losing him was devastating. It’s been four years and I still feel like I’ll see him again.
I love that these last two pictures are of him and his grandkids. My daughter in the red dress and my niece in the pink. He was an amazing grandfather! The kids loved him. My girls especially because they are the oldest of the grandkids. They got the most time with him.
I am so thankful for these pictures and so many more that I’ve taken over the years. You see, pictures have the power to freeze time. He’s right there. Alive and well. He’s happy and healthy. If only for a few minutes.
Since my dad passed away, taking pictures has become so much more meaningful for me. I’m all too aware now that time is fleeting. Our parents are getting older. Our children are growing up so fast. If there is one thing that can help ease the pain of time, it’s pictures. They have the ability to bring you back to a moment. To transport you back into time.
Life gets busy. You are no doubt running from one place to the next. Taking care of your kids, the house, homework, food shopping, after school activities; the list goes on and on. Before you know it, 10 years will have flown by and you won’t remember the everyday moments. The fun times that happen organically. Not the holidays or special occasions you’re more likely to take your camera out for. But the ordinary moments. The times that you think aren’t worth capturing. Those are exactly the ones you’ll want to remember most.
Like these shots of my dad and my daughter Julianna playing on his bed. She used to love jumping on it and we had this thing where we’d pick up the comforter with her wrapped in it and pop her up in the air almost like a trampoline. She LOVED it! She would laugh hysterically and so would we. My mom, my dad, and me. It was so much fun. These pictures bring that memory back. And I get to see the joy on their faces. WHAT A GIFT!
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This is why I created a course all about capturing your everyday. It is so so important. Why? Because you are building a legacy for your children, for your grandchildren. My kids were young when their grandfather passed away. Young enough that they won’t remember everything. All they have now is pictures and stories. Imagine if you had no pictures?
And it doesn’t matter what kind of camera you’re using. What matters is that you are documenting your life.
When I started taking pictures of everyday moments with intention, I started seeing things differently. I noticed little things. I pay attention now. I look for moments. I look for emotion and connection. The more you sit back and observe, the easier it is to anticipate what will happen. And that’s when the image you have in your head becomes a reality. Have you ever wanted to capture something and it didn’t quite come out the way you wanted? Maybe you didn’t spend enough time observing.
If I were to go back and re-take the images above of Julianna and my dad playing on the bed, I would have changed my angle. Yes, you can see the joy in the pictures the way they are, but I would have gotten behind my dad for a few shots to focus on Julianna and get a more close-up view of her face. I might have hopped up on the bed and captured a shot of her laughing from above. Maybe a close up shot of his hands tickling her. Simple things that would enhance the images even more.
That’s what Click & Capture Your Everyday will teach you. I’m sharing ways you can get more creative shots of your children, photograph your everyday with intention, capture genuine emotion and connection, and include more of YOU in your family photos. Start building your legacy now!