In my family, I’m the documentarian. The one who comes to family functions and takes pictures of the events so I can freeze time for a little bit and remember the little things about my family. Who’s the whiny one this year? Who’s the baby of the family? Which kid just needs extra snuggles? Which ones get along?
I love doing it. In fact, I love it so much that I started sharing this passion by documenting other people’s families too (see: Karen Wituszynski Photography).
But when you’re the one photographing, who’s the one documenting you? I often look back through my photographs and remember what everyone else was doing at the time, but there’s always one person missing: me. When these photos get passed around, my family‘s memories of themselves will come to life, but images of me will be faint. I’m the ghost of the family photos.
I’m grateful, however, that sometimes Pete will pick up my camera and point it at me. Then I finally have SOMETHING I can remember my time with because it’s a picture of me in the scene. (Usually, it involves food...see below)
But I need to find a way to get myself in these photographs more often.
“Get in the frame,” I always tell others. “People need to remember YOU, too!”
So I figured, I should probably listen to my own advice and GET IN THE FREAKING FRAME. Remember my own life.
So for the year 2020, I am starting a 365 Photo Project to document my life. Every day I will take one photo that will represent a part of my life or something that happened that day, and once a week, I will aim to include myself in the frame somehow. Because I would like to remember my life exactly how it is right now since we have lots of big changes coming our way this year.
I’ll be posting 7 photos each week for every day of the week. It's January 2nd, and I'm proud to say I haven't missed a day of photos yet! I did start practicing in the last few weeks of December to get myself in the hang of it, and I'm telling you: IT'S HARD. But I have a feeling 2020 is going to be a year I want to remember. So, follow along and check back here weekly for an inside scoop on my life in the form of images!
And join me on this project if YOU'RE the one always missing in YOUR family photos. You're not alone. (Alternatively, let me take your photos so you don't have to think about!)
Find out more about family sessions so you can be in the photos too.
Here's a few from the end of 2019 :)
Karen Wituszynski Photography
Dover NH / Portsmouth NH / Raymond NH / Rollinsford NH / Somersworth NH
Seacoast New Hampshire and Maine
Family Fresh 48 Newborn Maternity Photographer