I shared my goals for 2019 a couple of weeks ago, but there was one goal that I totally forgot to include on that list! As the photographer, I’m usually behind the camera! I hardly ever get in front of the camera and when I do, I feel so awkward! It’s really sad! One of my goals for 2019 is to be in front of the camera more often!

While looking through photos of my family, I realize that I have a ton of photos of Brian and the kids! But very few of myself with the kids! When my Mom passed in 2008, we went searching for photos of her! My Mom was a beautiful lady but she didn’t take very many photos! The only photos that we had of her were either years ago or from random times like Christmas or a silly photo of her at a hotel in Florida when I was a kid! Looking back, I wish that we would have set aside time for more photos! I wish we would have taken photos more often! I wish that we would have created some home movies that I could watch and share with our kids! Especially our little ones who never got to meet their Grandma! You never really think about the memories you wish you had until it’s impossible to create them!

I don’t want that for my family! My goal for 2019 is to be present more! Not just in everyday life but in photographs and videos! I realize that when I was younger, I would take a ton of photos of myself! I was always in front of the camera! But as the years pass and the weight piles on, I find myself feeling less and less comfortable in front of the camera! I find myself almost hiding from the camera and staying behind it 24/7 instead of in front of it! I find myself saying “oh, I’ll take photos once I lose the weight!” And before you know it, years have passed and you don’t have hardly any photos with your children! If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that life is short! Make the time, throw away the excuses and take the photos! Your family loves you for you, not who you wish you could be!

Here’s to being present in front of the camera just as much as I’m present behind the camera!