Photo-thankful-we-the-parents

The photo I’m thankful for – with Neve from We The Parents

by with 2 Comments PhotographyShow you were there

Welcome to the latest instalment of my new guest post series – the photo I’m thankful for.

This series is all about the photos that we are really happy that we have, either of ourselves or of the people who mean the world to us.  It’s an extension of my instagram community #ShowYouWereThere which is there to encourage parents to be in more photos both with and for their children.

This week I’m really pleased to welcome Neve from We The Parents.

Here is her photo and her story:

neve-we-the-parents

“This my most precious photo to date. Of all the thousands I’ve taken, this is the one I’d rescue from a burning building.

From a photography perspective, it’s not great. Let’s just say, it won’t be winning any awards for  colour, composition or technical execution. But then, that’s not what it’s about.

For me, this photo is the perfect example of the camera’s most humble yet noble role: to capture forevermore an extraordinary moment in time and then to exhibit it honestly without embellishment or interpretation. It is a gift made possible by technology, and it allows me to relive my most cherished life experience – the birth of my second child, my son, Dara.

Even now, looking at it brings a tear to my eye. I think we’ve just learned that it’s a boy and we’re letting Leyla know that she’s a big sister to a baby brother.

To give a little backstory, my husband and I had been practising hypnobirthing and had chosen to have a home-water-birth. Having done it once before, we knew that labour could be a calm, relaxed and profoundly beautiful experience. We really wanted to share it with our daughter, Leyla.

The whole thing was gentle and tender. I felt in control, working with my body. Most of the time was spent with me slumped over a yoga ball as Keane softly stroked my back and arms. I remember the time fondly. There was soft music in the background, essential oils burning and Leyla quietly coming and going, asking her dad questions about what was happening.

As I progressed, of course, things got intense. It was certainly powerful but not overwhelming or scary.

This photo captures the moment just after I pushed Dara into the world. I love seeing Leyla there. She was so involved and connected with me. When Dara was born it was beautiful to see her wonder and joy.

I need to thank my best friend, Ellie, for this snap. She was on hand for the whole birth (looking after Leyla and making sure everyone had food and drinks.) There is no way this photo would exist without her.

I have a love-hate relationship with taking photos. I want to capture special moments, but then often, I resent having a camera in my hand whilst something meaningful is happening. It can feel like I am not actually present in the moment because I’m so preoccupied with capturing it for later. For this reason, I am grateful that Ellie took a few photos. We didn’t even know it at the time. It meant that we could be 100% focused and undistracted.

It was only afterwards, as a wonderful surprise, that Ellie said she’d taken a few pics. She showed me this photo and I just burst into floods of (hormonal) tears.”

 

Thank you so much Neve, for sharing your photo and story with me.  

What a wonderful moment to have a photographic record of, I can see why you treasure it so much!

 

You can read more from Neve on WeTheParents.org where she seeks to bring out the humour in parenting and gets nerdy researching and reviewing the gear that mums and dads (apparently) need.

You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook:

Twitter – @wetheparentsSAY

Facebook – @wetheparentsSAY

 

Do you have a photo and a story you would like to share?

If you’d like to take part in my ‘the photo I’m thankful for’ guest series, or would just like a bit more information about it, please do send me an email to thisgloriouslife@gmail.com.

#ShowYouWereThere round up

‘Show you were there’ round up (week twenty)

by with No Comment PhotographyShow you were there

Sunday morning again!  And time for another #ShowYouWereThere round up.

In case you don’t know much about it, #ShowYouWereThere is my little instagram community aimed at getting more parents in more photos.  Any photo that features you, or that represents you in some way, please do share it on instagram using that hashtag.

Here are my 4 favourite photos from instagram this week.  

First up is this gorgeously happy photo from Hannah at The Simple Things.  I love how Hannah is making a real effort to get in front of the camera more.  I think we all have a tendency to see our ‘flaws’ when we look at photos of ourselves, but honestly no one else notices them.  Especially our children, they just see ‘us’ and they will treasure the photos we are in when they’re older.

 

Next up is this fab photo from Jo at Pickle and Poppet.  I’m not sure which of the two are having more fun in this photo!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWab4vFh1RF/

 

My third pick for this week is this beautiful photo from Rachel at MummaHub.  There aren’t that many baby words left in my house, so I’m clinging to the ‘bicbic’ and ‘huggle’ while I can!

 

Last but not least is this lovely picture from Susie at This Is Me Now.  I love how Susie looks so relaxed in charge of that boat, then you read the caption that suggests that calmness didn’t last that long!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWk-CnvAzij/

 

Thank you so much to everyone who is sharing their photos with me and #ShowYouWereThere.  It means so much to me and makes me so happy to see parents getting in more and more photos.

 

Now, my turn.

We’ve had quite a busy week in the run up to the end of term, and I’ve not taken that many photos with my ‘proper’ camera.  But when I came to write this post I remembered that I had taken a few selfies with Nerys one day when we were killing time outside school.

I have to remember to take more of these kinds of snapshots, rather than always worrying about taking technically good photos with perfect exposure and the like.  These kinds of photos, of quiet everyday moments, never fail to make me smile.

show you were there round up

 

If you’d like to join in with my little community and possibly be featured in my next round up (with a nice link back to your blog!) then just share a photo of yourself over on instagram using #ShowYouWereThere.  It’s all about getting more parents in more photos.  And if you’d like to take part in my guest post series ‘The photo I’m thankful for‘ then take a look at this post or email me at thisgloriouslife@gmail.com for more information.

#ShowYouWereThere round up

‘Show you were there’ round up (week nineteen)

by with One Comment PhotographyShow you were there

Have you ever had one of those weeks that seems to just go by really slowly?  

The past week has been one of those for me.  Not in a dragging, is-it-the-weekend-yet kind of way, but in a I-can’t-believe-the-airshow-was-only-last-weekend kind of way.

Most of the time I feel like the weeks are flying by this year, but this week things seemed to slow down a bit.

Yet it has still slightly caught me by surprise that it’s time for another round up from my #ShowYouWereThere community!

Here are my 4 favourite photos from instagram this week.  

First up is this photo of Kirsty from Winnettes, which honestly gave me a fair bit of hair envy.  I have quite thin hair I think, so can never get a messy bun to look this good!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWN1Q1egsvo/

 

Next up is this selfie from Sabrina, The Mummy Stylist.  I’m not sure why but I still don’t tend to take that many selfies, but this photo makes me think I should make more of an effort to do it, it’s the perfect way to capture a photo to go with a story of your day sometimes!

 

The last 2 photos I’ve chosen this week just made me smile so much, as I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for baby-wearing photos.

First I spotted this gorgeous shot from Abbey at The Son and The Moon.  How amazing is her baby-wearing hoodie!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWN0bFHgC_t/

 

Then I saw this shot from Wendy at Naptime Natter and couldn’t not include it in my round up!  Firstly because it’s just such a lovely shot of Wendy and her boys, and secondly because I’m always slightly in awe of people doing back-carries!

 

Thank you to everyone who is getting in front of the camera and joining in with #ShowYouWereThere.  It honestly makes me so happy to click on that hashtag and see new photos popping up every day!  Please do keep sharing your photos, I’ll be picking 4 each week to feature here on the blog in my regular round ups.

 

Now, my turn.

We took this family photo last Sunday, a couple of days late for June’s me and mine project.

This is the first year I’ve stuck with the project this long and I’m so pleased that we’re doing it.  I know I’m going to love looking back at our monthly family photos at the end of the year, especially ones like this that will bring back memories of special days out.

show you were there round up

 

If you’d like to join in with my little community and possibly be featured in my next round up (with a nice link back to your blog!) then just share a photo of yourself over on instagram using #ShowYouWereThere.  It’s all about getting more parents in more photos.  And if you’d like to take part in my guest post series ‘The photo I’m thankful for‘ then take a look at this post or email me at thisgloriouslife@gmail.com for more information.

 

photo thankful for hot pink wellingtons

The photo I’m thankful for – with Katy from Hot Pink Wellingtons

by with 4 Comments PhotographyShow you were thereThe photo I'm thankful for

Welcome to the latest instalment of my new guest post series – the photo I’m thankful for.

This series is all about the photos that we are really happy that we have, either of ourselves or of the people who mean the world to us.  It’s an extension of my instagram community #ShowYouWereThere which is there to encourage parents to be in more photos both with and for their children.

This week I’m thrilled to have Katy from Hot Pink Wellingtons as my guest, sharing one of the photos she’s thankful for.

Over to you Katy:

photo-thankful-for-hot-pink-wellingtons

“Despite my love of photography, I’ve never been comfortable in front of the camera myself. Too often I’ll go through and delete photos because I hate them. In fact, I can remember one instance as a teen where I hated a photo that my Mum had put in an album so much that I went into it, removed it, and then moved every other photo in that album up a slot so that no-one would realize.

As I’ve become older, I’ve begun to realize the importance of being in the photo, of showing my children that I was there. I love to look back at old photos of my parents, seeing what they were like when they were my age, and sometimes marveling at how they could ever have been that young! And I want my children to have that pleasure too.

And I did get better at it. I let myself hand over the camera, I wouldn’t back out of photos. Big events like my wedding showed me that a natural photo captures ‘me’ much better, and I started to like how I looked in lots of photos (not all, but definitely some!).

But then pregnancy arrived. I’m not good at being pregnant. For me, it’s 9 months of tiredness, severe sickness, and watching my body change in ways that are unfamiliar and unflattering. I shied away from the camera again and refused to have photos taken of me. Which has resulted in the fact that I have just two photos of me from my first pregnancy – a fact that makes me sad now that I look back.

Although it wasn’t a magical time for me, it’s a time I wish I’d documented better, a time when I wish I had those memories to look back on and say to my son, “That’s me when I was pregnant with you”.

So this time around I’ve made a conscious effort to thrust the camera into my husband’s hands and demand that he takes some photos. Sure, there are lots that I’ve deleted straight away that are just awful, but there are a couple that I absolutely love.

This photo was taken on Mother’s Day when I had just hit 30 weeks pregnant. It was a beautiful day – nothing special, just a walk around Bushy Park as a family, watching my toddler jump off tree stumps and chase ducks. But the kind of day that really brings you together as a family. It’s not a perfect photo by any means – the sun is strong and there’s lots of shadow on my face, but I love the big smile I’m wearing. I’m so pleased that I’ll always have this photo to look back on and remember this pregnancy – and to show my son when he’s older.”

 

Thank you so much Katy for sharing your gorgeous photo with me.  

It makes me so happy when people step out of their comfort zones and get in front of the camera more, and this photo in particular makes me smile so much as Katy just looks so beautifully happy!

 

You can find Katy over on her blog – Hot Pink Wellingtons

And you can follow her on these social media pages:

Instagram – @hotpinkwellingtons

Twitter – @hotpinkwellies

Facebook – @hotpinkwellingtons

Do you have a photo and a story you would like to share?

If you’d like to take part in my ‘the photo I’m thankful for’ guest series, or would just like a bit more information about it, please do send me an email to thisgloriouslife@gmail.com.

#ShowYouWereThere round up

‘Show you were there’ round up (week eighteen)

by with 2 Comments Show you were there

Well here we are, the first weekend of July.  I can’t quite believe that we’re here already, although the sun has come back after a week of gloomy drizzle so it does actually feel more summery again here now!

There have been some gorgeous photos shared over on instagram with #ShowYouWereThere and I’ve absolutely loved looking through them and picking our my favourite four to share in this week’s round up.

First up is this lovely family portrait from Steph at Renovation Bay-Bee.  This is the first time I’m featuring Steph and I’m really excited to see new people starting to use #ShowYouWereThere!

 

Next up is this photo from Lyndsay at Fizzy Peaches, that my inner teenager is just a teeny bit jealous of!  What I really love is how Lyndsay said that Peter Andre was just as nice as you would expect him to be, which just makes me like him more and more!

 

My next choice for this week is this beautiful photo from Kelly at Tiny Pieces of Me.  I love the moment that’s been captured in this photo, and the caption explaining how her son’s speech is starting to come on more and more which is wonderful.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV0J8y2h1LN/

 

My last pick for this week’s round up is from Donna at What The Redhead Said.  This photo just really made me smile, seeing the big grin on her son’s face even with his poor arm in a sling, it’s just such a lovely happy family photo!

 

Thank you so much to everyone who is jumping in front of the camera and then sharing the photos with me and #ShowYouWereThere.  It means so much to me that people are joining in and getting in more photos with and for their children.

 

Now, my husband’s turn.

Last weekend we spent a bit of time out in the garden re-potting a tomato plant we’d been given, and planting some flower seeds that we had bought Rhys for his birthday.

Both children were so excited to fill the little pots with compost and pop the seeds in.  They may have then been a bit over-enthusiastic with the watering, but we’re hoping the seeds didn’t mind!

For me, it was just so lovely to sit back and watch the children and their daddy work together to sort it out all.

Show-you-were-there

 

If you’d like to join in with my little community and possibly be featured in my next round up (with a nice link back to your blog!) then just share a photo of yourself over on instagram using #ShowYouWereThere.  It’s all about getting more parents in more photos.  And if you’d like to take part in my guest post series ‘The photo I’m thankful for‘ then take a look at this post or email me at thisgloriouslife@gmail.com for more information.

 

#ShowYouWereThere round up

‘Show you were there’ round up (week seventeen)

by with 3 Comments PhotographyShow you were there

How on earth are we so close to the end of June?  I’m not sure where this month has gone!

With another week gone though, I have another round up for you of my favourite photos from my instagram community #ShowYouWereThere.  I always love scrolling through the gorgeous photos that are being shared, and seeing people getting in more photos with and for their children.

Here are my 4 picks for this week.

First up is this gorgeous throwback photo from Susie at This Is Me Now.

I just love the happy faces, and the extremely cute bonnet Miss Belle is wearing!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVpwfD5DQ2Z/

 

Next I chose this set of photos from Hayley at I am River.

These photos just really made me smile, I love the look on Hayley’s face, I’m pretty sure that’s how I would look on a camel!

 

My third choice this week is this gloriously sunny photo from Cath at Passports and Adventures.

As the weather has shifted back to grey and drizzly this weekend, this photo is a lovely reminder of the sunshine and heat we had earlier in the week!

 

Last but not least, I chose this photo from Esther at Inside Out and About.

I can’t help but smile when I look at this photo, there’s something really infectious about Esther’s expression!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVfBaFchrSd/

 

Thank you so much to everyone who has been sharing their photos with #ShowYouWereThere.  I really love seeing them and am so excited about the potential for this little community of mine!

Now, my turn.

This photo of me was taken last weekend when the sun and the heat were most definitely with us.  It was so hot that we didn’t venture out to the beach until after the children had eaten their dinner.

Nerys thought this was brilliant, so far removed from the normal routine of dinner, bath and bed!

I think once school is finished for the year we’ll have to start doing that sort of thing more, being a bit more relaxed with the routine and bringing a bit more spontaneity into our lives.

show you were there round up

I know I’m a real creature of habit, so it would do me good to step out of our daily routine a bit more often.

 

If you’d like to join in with my little community and possibly be featured in my next round up (with a nice link back to your blog!) then just share a photo of yourself over on instagram using #ShowYouWereThere.  It’s all about getting more parents in more photos.  And if you’d like to take part in my guest post series ‘The photo I’m thankful for‘ then take a look at this post or email me at thisgloriouslife@gmail.com for more information.

#ShowYouWereThere round up

‘Show you were there’ round up (week sixteen)

by with No Comment PhotographyShow you were there

Every week I share my favourite photos from my instagram community – #ShowYouWereThere – in a little round up.  I can’t quite believe I’m at week sixteen of these round ups already!  I had this idea swimming round in my head for so long before properly putting it out there, it feels funny now that it’s actually been going for this long!

The whole aim of #ShowYouWereThere is to encourage more parents to get in front of the camera.  So often we’re the ones taking the photos, capturing every detail of our children’s lives, that we forget to be in photos ourselves.

When our children are older though, the photos they’ll really cherish are the ones with us in them.  So let’s all get in more photos for and with our children!

And now, without further ado, here are my top 4 photos from the past week:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVT_POYBxsI/

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVXwc4lhHmC/

 

 

Thank you to everyone who has been taking part, I really love seeing all your photos every week.

A big thank you to Jo from Pickle & Poppet, Kerry from All About A Mini Norris, Lucy from Hello Beautiful Bear and Wendy from Naptime Natter for sharing your gorgeous photos with #ShowYouWereThere.

 

Now, my husband’s turn again!

Seeing as it’s Father’s day it seems only fitting for me to share a photo of my husband again this week.

I absolutely love this photo of him and Nerys that I took one evening just before bedtime.  I like to think that this is the sort of photo she will absolutely treasure when she is older.

Show-you-were-there-round-up

Happy Father’s day everyone.

 

If you’d like to join in with my little community and possibly be featured in my next round up (with a nice link back to your blog!) then just share a photo of yourself over on instagram using #ShowYouWereThere.  It’s all about getting more parents in more photos.  And if you’d like to take part in my guest post series ‘The photo I’m thankful for‘ then take a look at this post or email me at thisgloriouslife@gmail.com for more information.