I read this really thought provoking article in the Huffington Post this week:
Alison Tate’s declaration that mum stays in the picture.
Basically (ie if you are too lazy busy to click on the link and read it for yourself) Alison debates the lack of mums in photos these days. Suggesting us mums are effectively erasing ourselves from our children’s childhood when they look back through photos in years to come.
“When I see myself in pictures, it makes me wince. I know I am far from alone; I know that many of my friends also avoid the camera,” Tate wrote in her blog
Tamsin Kelly at Parent Dish says:
We call it the ‘invisible mum’ syndrome. But it is sad – our loved ones don’t care whether we don’t measure up to our image of ourselves, they just want to remember us being there and enjoying the occasion with them.
That is me!! There are less than a handful of photos of me taken in recent years. I HATE having my photos taken. Hate. Hate. Hate it. I am just not naturally photogenic.
But in years to come will that matter? No it won’t. But it might matter that I am just not in any of these pictures. And that really got me thinking.
And vowing to do something about it!
So here we go:
I hate having my photo taken as well, I think the last one taken of me was at my granddaughters christening 5 years ago.
I tend not to be in the photos, but it’s not because I’m avoiding the camera, is just that I’m usually behind the camera taking the photos. I think a lot of bloggy mums are probably in the same situation.
I hog the camera on days out, taking photos of everyone else so I don’t have to be in them. When I think back to all our outings and the pictures taken, it’s as if I didn’t go with them!!!
I will definitely think differently about this in the future, have never really thought about it in that context before.
I’m always giving people my camera and saying take a picture of me with the children – but usually it’s not worth it as I get such bad results back! But I like the idea of appearing with the family in the album, as it’s only me who usually takes the photos. I like the way you can reverse your phone cameras these days and take pics of yourself – but they’re not usually very flattering!
I don’t think it’s a mum thing, I think it’s more of a female thing…I like the anonymity that being behind the lens affords me, there are very few photos of me in existence. I had to have an author photo taken by a professional photographer and just use that now, my personal facebook picture is morphed. Many friends note that when my husband and I go on holiday, it looks as though he was travelling on his own with our dog. I hadn’t really thought anything of it before…however if I ever have kids it would be sad not to give them photos of me….I know I cherish the photos I have of mother, especially since she passed away in 1996. There aren’t enough though….maybe it’s worth the embarrassment just for that….now you’ve got me thinking….
Couldn’t agree more. My son’s only 16 weeks old, and we have 100’s of photographs of him. Anyone who visits us gets it commemorated in photo form. Yet there’s only three of me with him. Only one of those would I deem fit for public consumption. Am going to make a concerted effort to get on more of the photos to document this lovely time in our lives.
This definitely makes you think! We all stay away from the lens out of selfish vanity. But that won’t matter an iota to a loved one who’s having trouble keeping memories clear after we’ve gone…
Since I became a mother I prefer to take pictures with my daughter so I’m usually out of the picture. Plus I don’t like the way I look so I keep myself away…maybe I should try and be more in pictures…
and what a lovely photo it is as well!!!!!!
Very valid point, I am going to make sure I am in more!