This is possibly the most important thing I’ve learnt from photography.
Like many mothers I always vied for that front on gummy grin when photographing children, both my own and in sessions. And as soon as they lost interest, a nearby toy grabbing their attention, I’d be there trying desperately to elicit another smile or giggle.
Now I’m not saying that these images with chubby smiling faces aren’t important. Of course they are and you must continue to capture them at every opportunity. But dig a little deeper.
The photos where they’re not looking, too enthralled by a toy or something passing by the window. These are the ones you need to capture.
When I see these images I’m driven to look deeper, to actually see the child. You’re not distracted by their happy little faces, you start to notice so much more.
Like how adorably chubby their little arms were, or how their small soft little fingers held that toy so intently, studying every inch of it.
You remember how they used to gum away happily on the tail/wheel/ear, whatever it may be and how their hair used to look when they’d just woken up.
How they sat, with one leg outstretched and the other steadying them ready to launch into a crawl at any time.
You see all of them, every inch. Not just what’s obvious, but every little nuance that’s so unique to them and you love so very much.
