On Monsters and Superheros

So I've been doing a little thinking these days. And that is really dangerous, because I haven't been doing much sleeping these days, and thinking without sleeping can go very, very wrong. As can blogging. Which is where tonight's disaster begins...

No seriously I am kind of on the tired side, but I don't think this will be a disaster. These past two weeks I've been swamped and working late every night to finish a giant project and wrap up editing a wedding, but for now, I just want to show you this picture.



And I want to show you these pictures.



And I want to tell you that I don't feel guilty about posting more pictures of my boys. And that I want to kiss Brody's little belly in that first one.

For a little while there, I was feeling bad. See, the thing is, I'm a photographer and I work at nighttime. Much like a superhero, you might be thinking, and you would be correct. But right now I feel like the superhero whose powers are weakened and whose spandex is too tight. The problem is that a year ago, I could easily work from 8pm till 2am, and now most nights I find myself falling asleep at the computer at 10:30. And the other problem is that even if I could stay up past 10:30, I don't have too many sessions to edit these days. And the third problem is that I used to look cute in spandex.

But then I remember why. It's because I am a full-time mom by day, and the Monster I spend time chasing doesn't really care what my spandex looks like- he still thinks I'm really awesome. And it's because I only have a few years to be a daytime superhero and I have lots of years to be a nighttime superhero. And it's because I just (yep, still saying "just") had a baby and spandex doesn't lie.

Now of course some of you reading are friends and family that love to see pictures of my Little Monster. And some of you are clients and peers who enjoy it from time to time. And maybe some of you hate it, in which case I would advise that you find a different blog to bookmark, cause this Monster is pretty popular here. : )

The point here is (remember, I'm tired and rambly) that THIS IS STILL MY WORK. I'm not turning into a mommy blog, and I'm still gearing up for a summer full of clients. But I was reminded by another photographer today that the pictures I take of my own family and friends are not any less important than those I take for others. They are not any less an example of my photography. They are not any less an exercise in creativity or a source of inspiration in this season of my business. In fact, they help me to get even closer to being the photographer I want to be. They teach me to be more intentional in each and every session. They remind me why I started photography in the first place.

So forgive me if you see a lot of Monster pictures these days, (and feel free to send him a little thank-you note after you realize your next portrait session with me is your best one ever). And forgive me if my blog posts aren't as frequent as they were last year. And forgive me if you see me in spandex because, really, it's just not time.