How Bright and Beautiful you Are | Abu Dhabi Lifestyle Family Photography

I discovered a quote on one of my many online journeys and I’m so glad I saved it – sadly I couldn’t find an author to credit. But it struck a chord with me at the time, and I have thought about it a lot since… Before I discuss, have a look for yourself:

“It doesn’t make sense to call ourselves ugly, because we never really ‘see’ ourselves. We don’t watch ourselves sleeping in bed, curled up and silent with chests rising and falling with our own rhythm. We don’t see ourselves reading a book, eyes fluttering and glowing. You don’t see yourself looking at someone with love and care inside your heart. There’s no mirror in your way when you’re laughing and smiling and happiness is leaking out of you. You would know exactly how bright and beautiful you are if you saw yourself in the moments where you are truly yourself.”

It has really resonated with me because I have on a few occasions had conversations with women (sorry, always has been females) saying how they’d “love to have their family’s photographs” taken but come up with a myriad of excuses that delay them booking like “they’d just like to lose ten more pounds etc…” or words to that effect. I know we can all be guilty of these feelings, but I didn’t know just how universally it is felt by women – most often Mothers – who end up going to great lengths to avoid the camera. As a consequence, weeks, months and even years pass by… and kids grow – every day!

It always saddens me to hear comments like these, and it frequently really surprises me who says it! I pride myself in seeing beauty in everyone – particularly once I have them in my viewfinder. During shoots my goal is to capture “the best version of reality” for my Clients.  I don’t believe in heavy Photoshop (in fact I use Lightroom), but I process my photos just enough to enhance & bring out the best of everyone. My dream would be for my Clients to get an inkling of their own brightness and beauty mentioned above – my photographs becoming the ‘mirror’ showing their reflections of happiness. Often my favourite moments during shoots are when everyone has forgotten the camera – those silly moments, giggling together is when you are truly yourselves. This is when I can capture personalities, emotions and each family’s unique dynamic. This creates timeless, genuine and emotive images, and the best rewards have been the happy reactions of my Clients when they receive their portfolios.

On this same theme, there’s been a successful online campaign sparked by an essay written by Allison Tate called “The Mom Stays in the Picture.” Writing about her own absence from family photos, Allison vowed to be there more often, to make tangible the memories of how she is always there for her children in life. It ignited so many women to do more than just respond. They embraced, inhabited and claimed the cause as their own; a movement created around the motto “I am not perfect to look at and I am not perfect to love, but I am perfectly their mother.”

Though I too am far from perfect, I am very conscious of this notion. Understandably as a Photographer, most of the time I can be found behind the camera, but there are times that I like to change that. I am very aware that I need to get in front of the lens with my children and my husband. There are a few occasions throughout the year when I try to adhere to these rules, and record these little milestones… And they become a beautiful reminder of how much we have grown.

Here are some of the times when I hand over my camera:

• Family Birthdays, at the very least the obligatory set-up with the cake and candles
• Our annual family Christmas photo, usually at home in front of our tree
• Summers in England… When we are relaxed and all together… I pounce on those moments and (albeit tentatively) hand over my beloved Canon set-up ready for the shot. I love the chance to capture the children and me too… preferably in the flattering light of the ‘golden hour’ *wink*.
• One tradition that we have upheld for five years now, is to take our photo with Birmingham’s Bull-Ring bull sculpture… It’s worth battling the Summer crowds to capture this. Though not usually all that technically correct, with a grandiose number of out-takes, but the emotion is there and the kids love them!

So, I hope this has given you food for thought and the nudge you were looking for to “get in the photo” #GetinthePhoto (if you’ve been guilty of avoiding it). Capture those casual snaps of you and the family… But also think about making that call or writing that email to schedule a professional photo session to prove how bright and beautiful you are; I know you won’t regret it!

Let’s get talking…

If you enjoy my work, your Likes, Comments and Shares are ALWAYS welcome and very much appreciated! Don’t forget to check out more of my work on Instagram, my Facebook Page and my Pinterest Boards… And you can even follow me on Twitter!

 

 

P.S.  Just to prove I’m a woman of my word, here’s some of my own “get in the photo” moments from recent years…

 

 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to visit my Blog. If you enjoy my work, your Likes, Comments and Shares are ALWAYS welcome and very much appreciated! Don’t forget to check out more of my work on Instagram, my Facebook Page and my Pinterest Boards… And you can even follow me on Twitter!

 

 

Hello, my name is Victoria and I am a lifestyle family photographer based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.  For me, Photography is an essential way to preserve priceless memories and freeze moments in life. Time is all too fleeting and before we know it, the years pass by and we look back and wonder where the time went. We can’t stop time, but maybe – if I had a super power – that is what I’d wish for.  Our best chance is to document our lives so we have a window into our past that we can visit whenever we like. I find so much joy in using my skills to create priceless memories for others. It challenges my mind and breathes energy into my soul.  I celebrate freezing those moments to capture not only the big picture, but also the beautiful details and time-capsule minutiae, to celebrate the love and connections within family and kinship.

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