Not Camera Ready?

Do you feel like you’re not ready for a shoot because you’ve got post-birth mum tum; because your hormonal skin is getting you down; because you can’t fit into those jeans you want to wear? The list of reasons to not have a shoot can be endless.

I completely get it- I’ve been there, and to be honest, I am still kinda there. I figured I’d be back to my “normal size” by 9-12 months post-partum and would feel more me. Yet 12 months on, my bigger jeans are still tight, my eye bags still look like I’ve got a newborn (they never go away, do they?) and my fluffy, baby hair regrowth is out of control.

But your Mini will never be this age again. If you continually avoid being in the photos with them then you’re missing out on freezing those moments to look back on in years to come. Your Minis will wonder why you’re not present in the photo albums from their early years and will miss having those photos of you with them to look back on.

I took my own advice a few months ago and we got a family shoot of our own. When I got dressed that morning, I focussed on my rounded tum in the mirror and wondered if now was really the time. But we hadn’t had any photos of us as a family when Marnie was teeny due to covid, and she was at such a cute age that I wanted to push through my insecurities and continue with the shoot.

The second Soraya walked through the door, I was instantly put at ease and I barely even thought about my tummy! I was too busy chatting with Soraya and playing with Marnie and my husband, Mark. And, you know what, the photos are amazing. I don’t look at them and wish I was slimmer, I just think that they capture us as a family, and me as a Mama 9 months post partum. We have a selection up on our walls and I cherish each one of them.

I could have made excuse after excuse to put off the shoot, then we’d have had no photos of us as a family whilst Marnie was a baby. She’s already one now and a proper toddler! So I am so grateful that we got those photos when we did.

I am sure that when Marnie looks at them when she is older, she will see the love captured and not Mama’s tummy! And even if she does notice it, I hope that I will bring her up to appreciate women’s bodies as they really are and not feel crippled by the heavily enhanced and unrealistic Instagram bodies that plague our socials. I want her to see a Mama who loved her openly and freely, and was comfortable in her own skin. I hope that this sets a good example for her.

So the moral of the story is - don’t wait. If you want to capture precious memories of your family’s everyday adventures, then embrace your Mama body - it grew and birthed your Mini, and deserves to be celebrated, not hidden away! Book your shoot and cherish these times with your Mini!

9 February 2022