Yet again I’m grateful to the most wonderful set of ladies who’ve helped to keep me accountable and in the frame of my family memories over the last year, just as they did through 2020. It’s so difficult as “the photographer” of the family sometimes. Photographing actually forces me to slow down and savour moments. It makes me be “in the moment” – particularly when I get the shot and I’m done. But it doesn’t always mean I’m in the frame and I don’t want my girls to grow up without pictures of Mama with them (in fairness this last year it’s been their Dad who’s been missing from images but I had a side project to make sure he’s in the frame at least once a week when he’s with us, because, memories, and presence, are important!!)

Just as last year I managed to pretty much ensure I was in the frame once a fortnight to share on Instagram with my project buddies, but when I looked through my images of the year I found I was in even more and so I’ve added not just that set of 26 images, but some of the silly ones, the phone selfies, the car selfies and a whole lot of goofy ones that the kids have taken of me. As I looked through them it felt self indulgent to share them. Some of those ones truly aren’t my art, my passion and an expression of my creativity. But they ARE an expression of my motherhood, and my womanhood and I’m dropping the feeling of them being self indulgent because seeing them together just makes me feel happy. They make me feel valued, and that I valued myself, and my role in holding this family together.

The view of mothers is often undervalued. Women are frequently expected to step up and hold the burdens of the family – and that has never been more apparent than during the pandemic. I know that creating is my therapy (again, this last year or 2 more than ever) and that making sure I’m there is part of that self care.

So here we are, a celebration, some art, some true expressions of creativity and some just our silliness from within – a year of #bothsidesofthelens

And here come a selection the silly, goofy, everyday selfies that make memories out of the everyday moments – not because they’re beautiful, but because they’re a reminder to me to embrace all of it.

These images remind me that I took the time out to embrace that and to say “I was there too. So here we are…. The #bothsidesofthelens21 images can be seen at this hashtag, and I’ve tried to collate all of mine under #bothsidesofthelens_kl (and for the ones where just my feet creep in I collect them at #myfeetintheframe_kl because sometimes that’s all we need to show we were there!)

Thanks ladies for those nudges to be there – and for all my other Mama friends out there, I implore you, get in the frame, be in the memories with your kids before they grow, capture the selfies, the everyday moments, and hire a photographer every now and then, because you should be cherished and celebrated too. I guarantee if you pull them all together like this they’ll bring you a year full of smiles and memories and that’s always worth the effort,

Hugs, Kirsty xx