I take hundreds of photos every month, and most of them don’t get shared with anyone, let alone online. And yet the moments in time that those photos capture are just as important a part of our story as the other images that I do choose to share.
I originally created this blog as a way of documenting our lives, a way of watching the girls grow into who they’re going to be and a way of remembering who they once were. It’s something I want them to be able to look back on as they get older, because memories fade but (digital) photographs don’t. A legacy, of sorts.
It’s easy (and tempting) to only focus on sharing the fun bits, the memorable parts, the highlights and the celebrations. But I’m learning more and more as I continue through this crazy journey of motherhood and life that it’s really important to me that I capture the ordinary, everyday times that we spend together as well.
The pieces of the jigsaw that fill in the gaps to complete the picture.
The tantalising glimpses into who the girls are becoming.
The chaos, the calm and all the moments in between.
This feature – The Moments In Between – is a space for me to share all of those magical and messy parts of our family life that would otherwise just stay in a folder on my laptop, never to see the light of day.
SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER & NOVEMBER 2024
Autumn teaches us about embracing change and letting go, and these last three months have required superhuman levels of both. It’s felt hard. Really hard. I’ve not wanted to pick up my camera to document any of it and yet… I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t.
I also knew that choosing to show up in the midst of the dark and to push myself to seek out the light would be a way through. So, I did. It’s taken effort, but that effort has paid off. I think. I hope. I like the images I’ve created and captured, and although it’s only me that will ever know the real story behind each of them, I’m glad they exist.
I spent a few days on a solo trip to the magnificent city of Barcelona at the start of September. It’s cliched but true: a change is as good as a rest. The gloriously warm sun on my skin, the golden light, the healing nature of the sea, the exquisite solitude, the fantastical architecture, the softly fluid language, the anonymity and the freedom to simply allow myself to get lost… they all restored me a little in some way or another. I’m certain I’ll return there one day to explore further.
Once I was back on home ground, the months quickly morphed into each other and we moved seamlessly back into the rhythm of school and college, after-school rehearsals and netball matches, work and everyday family life. Going through the motions because there was no other option. I’ve felt disconnected a lot of the time – my camera reminds me to be present. Some might argue that the opposite is true – that looking through the lens at a scene unfolding is one step removed from being in it. But for me, it pulls me in. It makes me actively look for those scenes. It kickstarts my curiosity for how to tell the story and that demands my full attention and the need for me to be right there – observing whilst simultaneously being in it. It’s impossible to be disconnected in those moments, I have to feel it. These images are my evidence, my proof to myself that I was there, that I was present, that I was real.
The night that the Northern Lights appeared is a perfect example of that. They were barely visible to the naked eye, but, when seen through the lens of a camera, their full magic was unveiled as colours dancing across the sky.
This was us, and all of our moments in between, throughout Autumn 2024…
