I have little doubt that if you ask any mom if their child was a cute baby, the answer would be "No." Its more likely the answer will start with a phrase like "Oooooohh, my (insert name here) was such a cutie.  Let me show you." At which point the smart phone comes out and dozens upon dozens of pictures are diplayed in front of you.

I am no different.  I love my little munchkees. And yes they were cute, still are.  I love to photograph them, but they don't always love to be on the receiving end of my camera. When my daughter was born, I took so many pictures of her, I swear there are still some I haven't gone through.

In her first week of life, I had taken over 1000 photos of her.  That was three photo sessions, including the one for the Christmas card. I'm still not exactly sure what I was aiming for with that number.

Christmas baby in bucketFirst laugh for Christmas
She was a December baby and I was determined to get those cards out before Christmas came.  After so many poses, and lighting and outfits and crying (and you name it with a newborn) went wrong, I put her in onesie back on and put the hat and boots on her.  And just like that, she smiled. This photo was pure luck.  Believe me when I tell you that I have a library full of images which tell the true story of how that day really went.  But the image to the above is what everyone received for their Christmas Card.

Every now and again I would set up a little photo session with her.  I always had high expectations not only for my little model but for myself as well. And every time I decided to take a chunk of time out of the day to photograph her I learned something new. Most importantly being, I was spending way too much time behind my camera recording her life instead of experiencing it with her.

Posed baby shotBaby girl photo shoot

As much as I loved the idea of that perfect photo of her, with the perfect expression, and the perfect lighting, and she is sitting just right; that is not who she is.  That photo, while adorable does not tell you who my daughter really is. And that's not who I am either.  I am much better at letting the little ones run free in the yard, screaming and giggling through all the joys of life while I snap away, rather than create a perfect scene for everyone to "hold still" while I check my exposure.

Baby girl splashing in the poolBig splash on a summer day

At the very least I have learned to be mindful of when I choose to pick up the camera so I can enjoy life with her, but when I do snap that shutter I do my best to capture who she really is.