10 on 10 | personal project | Austin Child Photographer

At a session a few months ago with some of my favorite clients/friends, the dad kept asking me to take some candid shots of them.  In my head, I thought yes I need to do that but this posed shot is on my checklist next.  Then a few weeks after that my husband and I were talking and he told me he missed the candid/in the moment shots I used to get.  He complained I posed my kids a little too much now.  Both of these comments made me think, how I am growing as a photographer and why I began this journey in the first place.

I began my photography journey wanting to get beautiful images of my son.  He was nearly one at the time.  I followed him everywhere snapping away and was in love with the results. I captured genuine expressions and a connection between him and my husband.  Also around this time I began learning everything I could about photography.  I had always had an interest but never before realized I could capture images similar to those of photographers I admired.  Somewhere along the way in learning all the technical information, I lost some things.  While learning your camera and how to shoot properly is so important, I lost my passion for capturing everyday moments and real emotion.

I also realized my kids are getting older, every day.  I want so badly to hold them in time.  I want to remember how sweet and snuggly my boy can be.  I want to remember the way he says certain words and his attachment to a certain, ratty shirt.  I want to hold on to the moments of my girls attempting to walk, the way she makes a beeline for socks because she loves to chew on them, her laugh and smile, her chubby cheeks.  I want this precious fleeting time to stand still for a while so I can absorb everything.  Before I know it my boy will be starting kindergarten and my girl will be a full fledged toddler.  And time will march on much to my dismay.

In July we took a vacation to the beach and I was determined not to pose my kids.  I captured both of them playing and realized how much I missed capturing them like this.  After we returned, Shannon Harrison, an incredibly talented photographer friend of mine posted a beautiful post titled “10 on 10”.  You can find that post here.  I was so inspired, I’m doing the same thing with some other photographers who want to capture their everyday moments.  Every month on the 10th of the month, I’ll share a day from the previous month and then to link to another photographer who will share her day and she’ll link to another photographer.  The idea is to take a picture approximately every hour for 10 hours to show what that day was like.  It’s my attempt to make time stand still.

So I’m going back to my roots so to speak.  My sessions won’t look very different.  I’ve always attempted to capture real emotion and relationships there but I hope to share more of myself here and more of my life with my kids who I’m so in love with I could explode.  I hope you will join me on this journey.

7:30am | the boys have left and the girl and I play together (yes I cheated and have two images for this hour)

8:15 am | her breakfast: applesauce and cheerios…her fave

9 am | while I get ready for the day, the girl hangs out in the pack ‘n play.  she was ready to escape here.

11 am | playing after her nap  – she LOVES socks

12:30 pm | picking up the boy from school

1:15 pm | playtime while the boy naps

2:30 pm | naptime for the girl and TV time for the boy.  he loves that shirt

3:30 pm | after nap fun in mama and aba’s bed (my kids call my husband aba)

5:30 pm | swim lessons for the boy

7 pm | getting ready for bed

Next head over to Kathy’s blog to see her day.  Be sure to follow the blog circle around and see everyone’s day.