Smile for the Camera!

/ joyroses13

If you are like me, than you tend to enjoy being the one behind the camera instead of the one in front of it. I love taking pictures!  Always have. I enjoy going back and looking at old pictures and remembering the story behind the picture, for every picture has a story.

My 19 year old  loves taking pictures too and she unlike me is not shy of the camera. She is always wanting pictures of us together and yes there are the times where I am like, “really, a picture now??” But I was once again reminded of how precious pictures can be by a comment that a friend shared on Facebook.

She also preferred to not be in pictures until her teenager looked at her and said, “Mom, if you die we will barely have any pictures of you.”  Talk about a punch to the gut!  She took that as her wake up call and now she happily poses,  for yes she is making memories. She is providing special reminders of her for her dear loved ones when she is no longer here.

When you look at pictures from that perspective can you really argue about not wanting your picture taken. This is not about wishing you were a supermodel and wanting to have every hair in place. This is about giving memories to your loved ones of you being YOU! They love you for being YOU, not for what you look like.

They want to capture that beautiful smile because it captures the beauty of your heart. They want to capture you as you stare off into the mountains in a moment of contemplation, because they want to capture your serious side.

There are also the embarrassing moments that can be captured in a picture. Trust me I have had those moments!  Let it be done, so your loved ones can remember the many times of laughter you provided.  Go ahead and make a face for the camera, give them something to laugh at in years to come and yes to laugh at now.  Laugh with them, remember Laughter is the Best Medicine!

The next time the camera pops up in front of you, don’t shy away from it.  Jump in front of it!  You are making memories.  Capturing a moment in time that can’t ever be repeated. Don’t always be the one holding the camera, pass it over and happily pose with your loved one or just by yourself.  Remember its not about having your makeup done or perhaps trying to suck in your stomach, its about being YOU!

About giving your loved ones smiles that someday may help wipe away their tears.

Smile for the camera! No one else can take your place!

39 thoughts on “Smile for the Camera!”

  1. I’ve never liked having my picture taken as I am self conscious. It didn’t help when OB commented that he didn’t recognise me in the wedding photograph last year as I was so big. I was even more embarrassed as I had lost almost three stone since he last saw me in 2010.
    Pictures of me as a kid are outnumbered by about 5 to 1 in my sister’s favour. I’m not worried. Hubby has loads of pictures of me on the boat, and I have a lot of him and to us, that’s all that matters. As you say, we’re making memories, and they are the most fun.

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  2. My Mom does the same and so does my Baba. I read once what yoyr daughter essentially said. That it doesn’t matter to your children, or when your older your potential grandchildren, what you looked like. If you didn’t like your hair, or were embarrassed about weight, or something else that makes you camera-shy. What matters to them is that you are in the picture, they won’t notice these things that we all have about ourselves to some extent. I’m sure that even though your daughter loves taking pictures with you or of herself and her friends, they are sides of herself she prefers to be on camera. But it’s lovely to be in the picture and have the memory of them anyways 🙂 That’s my thoughts lol. Hope you had a great weekend and that spring had come to where you live. We’ve had some beautiful days, but also a few cold ones still mixed in.

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    • Thanks for your thoughts. Always glad to hear them Mandi!
      It is warming up here but yes can still be chilly at times. Supposed to be in the 80’s though later this week!
      I finally got to wear my sandals the other day. 🙂

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      • Yay! The 80s I think is good. I think we would be having weather around room temp outside 24 to 26 degrees C or the mid-70’s in F. For us it’s awesome. If you’re having 30ish C weather I’m jealous lol. Take care 🙂

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    • mandibelle16 & joyroses13 — you’ve both said it well – who cares what their loved ones like like as long as they’re healthy & happy, right? but still hard to remember when someone is taking my photo LOL

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  4. I H A T E my picture taken. Always have. I look at them and think, “Good grief, this is what people see when they look at a photo of me!” Ewwwwww!! But lately I’ve been trying to be better about it!
    🔹 Ginger 🔹

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  5. You’ve got a point . . . up to a point.

    For a fascinating (and memorable) article about the way photographs erase and distort our memories: Shutterbug Parents and Overexposed Lives (New York Times, 2/22/15)

    When we disrupt an experience to capture a photo, it hinders our ability to store the memory intact. As Dr. Linda Henkel, the noted psychologist, notes: “We’re collecting trophies of our experiences rather than being engaged in the experiences.”

    Now, smile and say, “This is NOT a Kodak moment.” 😀

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  6. I was told that I adamantly disliked having my picture taken even as a small child and this has continued throughout much of my life. There was a brief time while I was in Nursing School of not being as camera shy, that resulted in the most photos ever. The only photo that I even remotely liked was my graduation photo from that time. Even though I’m called “Gem” now, I appear in photos more like a diamond in the rough…no sparkle whatsoever! While I agree that you have valid points…I still prefer to remain un-photographed. Thank-you!

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  8. Pingback: *Press it* Smile for the Camera! #31 | Its good to be crazy Sometimes

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