take the picture anyway

We've all seen pictures of ourselves and thought, "Oh, no! That's terrible!"

If you've taken many pictures and had that same reaction each time, you likely shy away from ALL pictures.

Ladies (and men, but usually more so ladies), we're too hard on ourselves. We know this, but yet we continue to rake ourselves over the coals for the way we look, dress, eat, feel, mother, wife...heck, even sleep! 

So, it's no surprise that many of us run away from having pictures taken.

I'm here to convince you that you should take the picture anyway. 

Very few times in our lives do we feel 100% comfortable. If you're married, it might have been your wedding day when you felt like the prettiest girl in the world (my pictures were taken by Landon Jacob).

If you've just recently lost a bunch of weight, it might be now. But for the majority of our lives, we don't run around thinking, "Ooh, guurrll! You are rocking this look today." Most of the time we put ourselves down or wonder, "why?" about this, that or the other. 

It's nothing new, ladies. And I'm not sure if we will every stop with the self-deprecation, but we need to at least try, right? One of the best ways to overcome our voices is to take the picture anyway. Say, "yes" to the next camera that's pushed in your face. Snap a selfie. Whatever it is, capture your now moment.

Capture the now t0 have a past
​How many of you have seen old pictures of family members and thought, "Gosh! I look just like him/her at that age!" Or maybe you thought, "I just love this picture of him/her!" 

A picture of my grandparents when they were younger <3.

What if those hims and hers had not taken those images? Or better yet, thrown them away when they saw them? Without images from the past, you wouldn't be able to appreciate the beauty of what their "look" was all those years ago! 

Think about it. If you avoid the camera or pitch those unflattering pictures of yourself, what will your children and grandchildren have as memories? You as a shriveled, old raisin? (Let's face it, those days in the sun will catch up to us soon enough.) 

Look, don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with remembering grandma and grandpa as the loving, over-affectionate beings that they are/were, but wouldn't you love to have documentation that at one point in their lives, they were vibrant and adventurous just like you? What about pictures of your parents? Don't you want to capture them at every moment so that you may look back on their pictures and remember the times they were with you? I do.

If the past doesn't interest you, then I don't blame you for tossing this blog post aside. But for those who may long for images of their loved ones from years ago (moms who take pictures of their babies, I'm looking at you), I think you should take a step back and ignore those inside voices telling you that your hair isn't right or that you could stand to lose a few extra pounds. Take the picture anyway.

​Case in point. 👇​

Ugh! 3+ months ago I took this picture. 

A friend of mine forwarded me an invitation to a portrait party, and being in the market for a new headshot, I thought, "Sure! This could be fun!"

My friend wasn't able to go that night, but I went anyway. I wasn't feeling all that great, but I needed that headshot and even though I was probably 10+lbs heavier than I wanted to be, I figured it wouldn't hurt to at least have one taken. How bad could it be?? 😳

The night was a lot of fun. Fern Studio, one of Columbia's most talented florists, opened their doors to host the event, and hair/make-up stylists from Pout were busy doing their magic. 

After getting my hair and makeup freshened up, I was ready for my closeup. Meredith Jamison (she took the images above, too), a local wedding photographer, posed each of us in front of an adorable background and snapped a couple of shots of each gal. For the most part I was relaxed, but when you don't feel 100% comfortable, what is relaxed? 

A few short weeks later.... EMAIL: "Portrait Party Pictures Are Ready!"

I was excited to see that our headshots were ready, but I braced myself. 

When I opened the gallery and scrolled down to my image....BAM! There I was in all my not-so-confident glory.

I thought, "What in the heck? Why did I look like a whale? Oh, that's right. Because I'd been sitting on my butt for the last year. Yep, that will make your face look like a chipmunk's for sure!" 

Anywho, that was April; the month I decided I better shape up if I ever wanted to feel comfortable in a picture again. 

It's taken me this long to post it because, well...I just really don't like the picture! But, if I'm going to talk the talk, I better walk the walk. 

Please understand, the fact that I don't like the picture has nothing to do with the photographer, the photography or the style. It has to do with my own insecurities. 

But the more I thought about it, the more I thought, "You know what? Who cares? So I wasn't at my target weight. So my hair was probably too long and dark (it's so much hair!). So, the shirt I chose probably wasn't the best pick for a side shot. And my eyes...was I drunk or just about to fall asleep standing up?" Blah...

How do you want to be remembered?
In the end, that's was me. As of April 2017, that was what I looked like. And in 2, 5, 10, or 50+ years, I'll look back on that picture and be grateful that I took it (and probably be wishing I looked that way again!).

To be morbid for a minute, if you were to die right this second, what would your family have to remember you by? Sure they have memories, but aren't memories made even more vivid by pictures? What about those who hadn't met you? Pictures help to tell your story. Isn't that why people spend so much money on wedding photography? Exactly. 

We can't slow time down, folks. Things aren't going to look how they did when we were 18, 21, or 25. We all just need to embrace the us of the moment and take the picture anyway. If not for our sake, then for our children and children's children. 

picture cred: Ashley Grant

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