Kam is lives in Southern California and is the blogger behind Campfire Chic. She shares her story as a 9-5er looking for adventure and a handmade life. When she’s not blogging, Kam can be found on a trail, reading comic books, or hunting down the perfect breakfast burrito. The posts she shares encourage her readers to take risks and try new things, like camping, rock climbing, and yoga, while maintaining their current interests and responsibilities. Campfire Chic is about accepting challenges, setting achievable goals, and documenting the journey toward the finish line. Connect with Kam via Twitter and Google+.
You are probably the main photographer in your family. The CEO of family photos. The President of documenting the first day of school, junior prom, and birthdays.
But isn’t life more than these big annual events?
Aren’t there special moments that happen every day that deserve to be preserved?
Of course they are! And you’re probably capturing them on a daily basis with realizing it…hello, Instagram? You’ve got it!
Today, I am going to share with you some ways of capturing your everyday to help preserve the memories that are more than just the posed events in your life.
Tip 1: Find and use reflective surfaces to help tell the story
Like I mentioned before, you are most likely the main photographer in your family. Do you see photos of yourself when you are scrolling through your photos and flipping through your photo albums? Maybe not as often as you should, right? Well, step in front of a mirror, video display, or other thing that will let you take a photo of yourself, the people with whom you are spending time, and maybe helps tell a story of where you are and what you’re doing.
In the photos above, I’m taking a photos using a mirror and a video surveillance camera screen. The mirror photo was taken in my work elevator right before I started work at 7 a.m. one day. It wasn’t a special day, but I liked my outfit and knew it would be the only time I would be able to take a photo. The second photo was taken one afternoon while my boyfriend, Alex, and I were at Home Depot buying some supplies for a tutorial. I liked the idea of capturing us at the checkout stand and the store behind us.
Tip 2: Use a self-timer
Sometimes you need to fake it…with a self-timer, I mean! Some people may think of using a self-timer for family photo time, but it can also help capturing your everyday.
While this photo may show a calm looking moment in time, my heart was racing as I tried to calmly get off the bed, set up the camera, and get back into the bed without either the cat or the boy figuring out what was going on. A self-timer is great for moments like this, I love the idea of using it to capture a photo of me doing the dishes while listening to podcasts, sitting in the middle of a bunch of scrapbooking materials on the living room floor, and while sitting on the balcony gardening by myself.
Somebody who does a fantastic job of capturing her everyday is Elise of Enjoy It.
Tip 3: Ask for help
AKA hand your camera to somebody else for a little while. Let your partner be in charge of photos for the day, give your kids some disposable cameras, whatever it takes.
The people in your life know that capturing your story and everyday moments is important to you, let them help you out! Let them be a part of the process, and you’ll appreciate those photos so much more than you think.
Tip 4: Don’t forget the little things
Your purchases from the store, holding hands with your partner, checking the mailbox, bedtime stories, all the little things you do are these fantastic opportunities to capture the moment and keep those memories suspended in time to share with your loved ones later. Snap a few photos that may not seem like a perfectly bloggable masterpiece and I promise you’ll have a soft spot for them…maybe you’re already doing this with Instagram and Path?
Here’s your challenge: Spend the next few days capturing your every day. You don’t need a plan for the photos after you take them, but just do it. You’ll thank me and thank yourself for taking the time to do it.