We welcome you to our new and improved website! We were trying to think of the best topic to talk about for our first blog on the website. It was easy to decide because we have been striving over the past few months to be more in the moment, so discussing the importance of documenting your life is in the forefront of our thoughts. To recognize what is around us, to be aware of the moments happening, and not be so focused on the “Stand there and smile!” posed photos.
When we first started taking photos and video, I would be OBSESSED with studying poses and how to get people to stand a certain way to get the perfect Instagram look. As time has passed, Yes, we still aim to get those posed looks that everyone wants to hang on their stairwell gallery wall or post as an updated profile picture on social media…but we also keep clicking during the in-between moments. When the baby is crying because his little sister is holding him halfway hanging upside down, or the wind is blowing your hair into your mouth, the kids are running circles and won’t even take the bribes of a present in the car or ice cream after the session to get them to sit there and smile. It is okay. Accepting that that is the stage in life you are in and noting the beauty that is that exact moment. Yeah, maybe the baby is crying. But you turn around and see Dad smiling at the new momma trying to help the little girl hold her new baby brother. Maybe the wind is blowing, but through our lens, we see two lovebirds laughing because hair is getting in their face and actually doing their BIG goofy smiles, and not the perfect version practiced during selfies. Maybe the kids are wild in that moment, but we see a split second where they are little with tiny hands and feet and probably some newly acquired dirt on their face and knees from falling down or munching on whatever dirt thing that is sitting at their feet.
In a split second, this all changes. The babies go from newborn to eating their first birthday cake, and that 4 year old that is running circles instantly turns into a senior with sass and the looks of a grown up right before your eyes. Since beginning our career as photographers and videographers, we now know the importance of documenting not just the perfect moments, but the in-between. Every one of those in-between moments becomes a part of your history to look back on. Don’t feel like you have to have expensive equipment to do so (believe us, it helps to make pictures and video pretty) but sometimes the phone is so easy to grab and pull out in the blink of an eye to capture your little boy sleigh riding down the hill, or your teenage daughter curling her hair for the dance, or your grandad telling you stories about when he was your age… these are priceless moments.
Another part of documentation is SOUND. When we do sessions or weddings, or really any event, we ALWAYS take video. You don’t realize how much video captures that a photo doesn’t. Of course, the sound is captured, but the body language and funny quirks that people have isn’t noted with a photo. Sometimes tuning into an old video of your dog jumping around and you look down from your screen and suddenly that puppy has turned into a sleepy dog with a gray face. Or pulling up your wedding video on your 5th anniversary, and suddenly the way that you looked at him with complete stars in your eyes has turned into eyes that aren’t just infatuated, but truly love that person more than yourself. The way you talk to him is different, the way you grab him is different, and somehow now you are able to read each others minds which maybe has become an acquired ability since being around each other 24/7. None of this can really be noticed with a picture quite like a video can do.
We just wanted to say: document ALL the moments. And don’t delete the crappy photos where someone was moving, Grandpa’s thumb was covering half the screen, or the kid was crying and snot was coming down. Those are the moments that you will never want to forget. Check out the images below in the gallery to see a few little moments we have captured within our personal life that maybe aren’t going to hang in a gallery someday, but were small moments from our day that I know I will look back on and cherish.
We challenge you this week to take 15 photos that are “in-between” moments. Plus, we LOVE to see what our #millpondfamily is up to so tag us @millpondphotography in those photos so we can see the moments that you found special this week!
