There was a small window of time, no more than five minutes, before we had to leave for my daughter’s very first dance performance.
Her costume was on. Hair slicked tightly back, and mascara (oh my!) A mix of nerves and excitement sitting right behind her eyes.
And in that moment, I reached for my camera. Maybe it was to distract me from crying. Or perhaps to postpone and repeat those tears in years to come.
They’ll remind me of the way she stood. Proud and unsure all at once. Of how grown up she seemed at the moment, though later on I will realise she was still so small. Of the season where she was brave enough to try something new, even when her tummy was full of butterflies.
And one day, they’ll mean something to her too.
This is why I believe so deeply in photographing milestones — not extravagantly, not endlessly — but intentionally.
One of the biggest mistakes mums make when photographing their kids is trying to do too much.
Too many photos.
Too much direction.
Too much pressure.
Kids feel it immediately.
So I gave myself five minutes.
Five minutes to quietly observe.
Five minutes to catch the details
Preset: Nostalgia (from the Embrace Preset Pack)
Camera: Canon R6 + Canon RF 50mm 1.2
Settings: ISO 250, F2.2, 1/230s
Learn to photography your kids at a minutes notice with our Don’t Say Cheese Beginner Photography Course for Mamas and don’t let a big moment (or the small ones) like this slip away x
