Photographs are windows to our memory. Reflections of our life. Reminders of our blessings. Each Wednesday we feature 5 personal favorite photos from a Creative Team member or a friend. These 5 photos will remind of us why photography is so beautiful and why documenting the everyday is so important. The goal is to leave us all a little more inspired to cultivate a good life and record it.

Our inspiration this week comes from Creative Team member Sheri Horton. Here are some of her favorite tips-in her own words.

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I have always loved photos, but it wasn’t until the birth of my first daughter that I truly became interested in photography. I was happily taking lots of photos and documenting our story. I was doing okay and felt I was capturing all the important things. Then in 2009, after the birth of my second daughter I decided to do photo-a-day. What a life changing experience! It made me realize that up until that point I wasn’t documenting life at all like I should be! It was during that year that I truly fell in love with documenting the everyday moments. I saw the world through my lens in a whole new way! It was no longer about getting that perfect shot, even though I still like to try, but it was about capturing our life as a family.

I know a lot of people say they are capturing their life as a family, but a lot of times I think they forget that they are a part of the family too! It’s so very important that as a mother, you are in the photos!! It does not matter how you look or how you feel about yourself, it’s about leaving a lasting memory for your children. My girls love to see photos of us together. When I say us, I mean them with me and them with their Dad, and even better, they love seeing photos of us as a family. I don’t have a single photo of me as a child with my Mom. It’s not her fault there are no photos, it’s just not something she thought about at the time. Plus, she’ll be the first to admit she doesn’t like having her photo taken. I don’t think most people do when it comes to looking right at the camera and smiling. But those aren’t the pictures I wish I had of us together. The ones I wish I had are the ones where we’re interacting, playing and just being us. Now, I have those photos of her with my girls, which they also love to see. I don’t think she has ever thought about it or given it a second thought, but for me as a mother with two little girls of my own, it’s something I think about all the time! I try my best to ensure that I am in at least one photo a week! You’ve heard it before, but I am here to tell you again…it is important to your kids to have photos of you with them and photos of just you by yourself! Kids like seeing photos of their parents!

There are countless ways you can ensure you’re present in your photos. I am sure you’re well aware of all the ways, but if not, here are some suggestions:

• Hand over your camera to someone else. Yikes!! I know this is hard to do, but do it! I even let my girls who are 3 and 6 years old take pictures!
• Self-timer. Most cameras have them and they are so easy to use. I use mine at least once a week!
• Remote. Mine was less than $20. I used it for the first time last fall when I did our own family photo session! Call me crazy, but it worked and I got some amazing family photos!
• Self-portrait. We’ve all done it at some point. It’s where you turn the camera around and point it at yourself! I think most teenagers these days have perfected this shot!

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My girls like tea parties (I think most little girls do)! So when my oldest wanted to have a tea party for her Lalaloopy doll, I said sure and went all out and set up the table, made tea and cookies! I took lots of pictures of them, but eventually I handed the camera over to husband and asked him to take some pictures of me serving the girls tea. I will admit, it’s hard for me to hand control over to him! I sometimes get frustrated that he doesn’t think to take the camera and take pictures of me with them and that I always have to ask. But you know what? He never says no, so I will continue to ask. Maybe one day he’ll surprise me and just do it, but even if he doesn’t, that’s okay. And if I am being honest, I also have to let go of the fact that he is not me and his photos, no matter how much I coach him, will not look like mine! But like I said, that’s okay, because at least he is willing and does his best! I would do anything to have a picture of the little cakes my Mom use to bake for my tea parties with my three brothers and of her serving it to us!

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Like many of you, I enjoy doing crafts with my kids. I am sure you have lots of pictures of your kids doing the craft, but what about you sitting there doing a craft of your own or you helping them? This is when the self-timer on your camera comes in handy! I usually find a pile of books to set my camera on, line up the shot and then run to get in the photo. Sometimes I’ll have to do it a couple times to get it just right, but more often I get it with the first try! The key is to not look at the camera and make the picture appear natural. That’s not always easy with little ones. My youngest always wants to look! That’s okay too…just as long as you capture the moment, it doesn’t have to be perfect.

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This photo melts my heart. My girls and I are looking at the 2011 photo-a-day book I created. Every so often the girls ask to look at the books or albums I have created. I love that they ask and I am always more than willing to sit down and flip through the books with them. For this shot, I set my camera on the floor and again used my self-timer. I love that by having this perspective, you truly get a sense of us being engaged in looking at the book. I also have to mention this…you’ll notice I am wearing what I call my comfy clothes, a pair of jogging pants and sweater. I wouldn’t go to the grocery store wearing this, but I will photograph myself in it and share it with the world! LOL So like I said earlier, it doesn’t matter how you look, get in those photos!!

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When it comes to my husband, he’ll say he’s not in very many photos with the girls, when in actuality he’s in a LOT of photos with them! He’s in some of the really amazing shots I’ve taken! He’s also in a lot of the everyday photos with them. If I find them engaged doing something together I will always run to get my camera. Like this time, when I saw him on his Playbook and our youngest with her blankie sitting on him and then our oldest sitting beside them playing on the iPod. I didn’t take the photo straight on, I got up on my tippy toes and angled my camera downwards. I like this perspective and take a lot of photos this way.

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There is nothing better then capturing a family in their element, doing an everyday activity, like having dinner! For this shot, we were enjoying our first dinner outside for the summer season. The sun was actually starting to set (my favorite time to photograph, as I am sure it is for a lot of you….that golden hour) so I decided why not take a picture! For this one, I set my camera on the ledge of our gazebo and again used my trusty self-timer.

When I look through all the photos I’ve taken this year, the photos of me with my girls and of us as a family are what inspire me and make me appreciate this project even more! I encourage you to make an effort to be present in your photos with your family.

You can learn more about Sheri here + check out more of her everyday photos and Project Life pages on her blog.

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