I am 15 days in on my 365 day DSLR photo challenge and, so far, I haven’t missed a day. I know, I know–there’s a whole 350 days to go. Still, I’m appreciating the small miracles.
15 days in, here are some things I’ve realized:
- I don’t take nearly enough candid photos of Finn. When I have those “I must grab my camera!” moments, it is generally because something important is happening. Or I’ve put him in a super cute outfit and want to pose him like a doll. Or there’s a first (first time eating, first time swimming, etc.). Over the past 15 days, most of the photos I captured are of quiet, uneventful moments. So, I’m capturing things I most definitely wouldn’t capture, otherwise.
- Some days, I don’t get to take a photo until late in the evening. On Thursdays, I hardly get any time at home. So, one day, I had to sneak in and snap a shot of him sleeping in his crib. That’s okay.
- I’m taking my camera out and about more than usual. To the park. The pool. Restaurants.
- This project is as time consuming as I allow it to be. The first few days, I was taking 30-40 photos eat time, and I was editing at least half of those. HELLO, TIME. Already, I’ve cut down quite a bit, often snapping just 4 or 5 photos and quickly culling out only the best in Photoshop. I keep 2 or 3 photos each day–and not 20.
- I don’t have to edit every single day. If I have 5 minutes to post that day’s photo, great! If not, that’s okay, too. I can post it, tomorrow. Instagram can wait.
- These photos are PRICELESS. That probably goes without saying, but the truth is this: these are moments we will never get back. Facial expressions and mannerisms he’ll outgrow–and quickly. Even in just 15 photos, I can already see how he’s changed. Looking back on a whole year’s worth of photos, if I make it to that point (I think I can, I think I can), will be worth every second I stopped what I was doing–which probably wasn’t that important, anyway–and focused on REALLY looking at our son.
And now, the photos:
