Capturing Life During a Pandemic | Go Where the Light Is

As a photographer, I have actually been leaning a bit on my photography to help with the stress and “new normal” caused by everything currently going on. I have been trying to pick up my “big girl” camera more often and capture life in and around our house. Simple moments that create snapshots of our lives. As I was compiling them, I realized they kind of fall into different categories or strategies, so I’m going to share some short tips on capturing life during a pandemic.

Quiet/Independent Play

When your kids are quietly playing or interacting, try to get it on camera. That sometimes means being super sneaky, or even avoiding eye contact. Not only does it make for adorable photos, but it also creates photographic evidence that all parents need that their kids CAN play on their own, and CAN be adorable. Sometimes we need extra reminders.

Go Outside

You’ll probably see me write this ALL THE TIME on my site. But it’s so helpful to have an outdoor space to escape to when you have kids. For both yourself AND your kids. They always seem to explore more by themselves and for longer spans of time when they are outside. The photographer in me loves this as well because I can often play around with my camera snapping photos. I let them do their thing, and I move around them just seeing what happens.

Often I get fun, messy, silly, and just lovely photos of my boys being themselves. I love it so much.

Don’t Worry About the Mess

I will try to avoid distracting things in photos, especially backgrounds, when I have enough control. But honestly, when I’m getting fun snapshots of my family just being themselves, sometimes those things that might be considered “distracting” are just more reminders of our family. We love to be outside, and the boys are always getting into things, creating things, destroying things, and leaving things laying out. Sometimes I’m okay with that. Other days we clean.

Don’t Be Afraid to Change Things Up

So I LOVE legos. I remember playing with them for hours as a kid. I also remember them being only allowed in my sister’s room. I know why. Which is why I’ve been hesitant to let my boys have them yet. I knew it would turn into a nightmare. I know their personalities. So when they got some for Christmas I immediately put them away in the basement.

When our Shelter-in-place began, I thought that I would change that thought process for at least a few days of exploration. It went down much like I expected. They wanted me to build the cars, and then they rather quickly destroyed them, repeatedly, and there were legos all over the floor. Thankfully they also explored adding on their own components to the “broken” cars, started building their own towers and creations, and I have a robot vacuum that eats legos when they are on the floor. Thanks Betty.

What I’m saying is that it’s okay to change up your routine, rhythm, or relax some rules here and there to help your family through these times. Some days you’ll need that flexibility more than others. But it often allows for some fun memories to be captured at the same time!

When They Think You Aren’t Looking

I love photographing my kids when they aren’t looking. It’s like looking into their own world. The other benefit is that they won’t instantly growl at me or run away from my camera. My kids, one specifically, doesn’t enjoy photos on most days. Grabbing little snapshots of them just being themselves is fun and special to me. I don’t believe someone has to be looking at the camera for a photo to be special.

Another benefit to at least setting up your photo when they aren’t looking is that you have everything ready to snap a shot right when they DO look or smile at you. Sometimes I’ll sneak up, call their name, and then snap the shot of them looking at me. Followed by giggles, growls, or running away. Life as a mom is fun.

All in the Details

DO NOT FORGET THE DETAILS. Seriously. Images don’t need people in them all the time either. You can capture all sorts of details about your family by photographing kids creations, forts, games, toys strewn about, forgetting coffee, or anything else. It all documents the phase your family is currently in and helps tell your story.

Personality Needed, NOT Perfection

Photograph the personalities of your family. That might be grumpy, playful, sneaky, or something else. Images of personality and emotion tell your story much better than getting the perfect set up. You don’t need a perfectly smiling face to make a memory. Sometimes the tears or the attitude makes the image. And sometimes taking a photo of the attitude gives you a minute to breathe before responding to said attitude. Maybe.

Are you capturing life during this pandemic?

This post was written as part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to read the next post in this series “Go Where the Light Is”.

created by @pheonixfeatherscalligraphy for C+C, 2020