There is a wave building, it’s coming East. I can feel it. People have been talking in the US about this for sometime and now it’s hitting Europe, I want to bring it to my lovely readers here in the East too. Partly as a photographer, one who is passionate about capturing your life, your memories. But mainly because I have experienced first hand what it’s like to live without these pictures, these memories.
So this wave of chat, it’s about us Mums getting back in the picture. You know – us – the ones who don’t have as much time as we used to. The time we had before we were Mums. The time to spend hours in the gym and then more hours primping and preening; blow drying our hair, painting our nails, applying immaculate, flawless make-up. Heck, if we even get time to blow dry our hair it would be a miracle some days. Ok, so we have established that we don’t look as fresh faced, manicured and ready-to-go as we used to but the thing is we are still us. The only real difference is that we now have children who we love, take care of, nurture and educate.
The more posts I read on this wave, the more tears well up in my eyes because you see, I lost my Mum suddenly two and a half years ago, she was just 58. It was unexpected and before my wedding, and before I had my son. She thought she was old but she wasn’t. She thought she looked bad in pictures, but she didn’t. She was beautiful. And to me she was beautiful everyday. After all, she was the one who brought me into this world, who raised and loved me every second of every day. But she hated having her pictures taken, even when she was young. And now, she is gone. And there are so few pictures of us as a family, of her as a part of my childhood. An integral, fundamental part.
My little boy is now nine months old and soon he will be old enough to begin to understand about people, about family and about photographs. I have so very few to show him of when his Mummy was growing up with the Mummy who loved her very much.
Allison Tate wrote a beautiful piece in the Huffington Post about just this. She writes it in a way we can all relate to I’m sure. So… take a moment. Read it. Think about it. And if you are a Mum, stop hiding behind the camera and get back in the pictures. Not for you, for your little people. The ones who love you, no matter how you think you look or don’t look. It’s made me think about it a lot more for sure and I take pictures every day.
Here is a happy memory of me and my little boy when we were in Europe this summer, with thanks to my great friend, Rebecca. And one by me, of C and her little lady xx
