I think I am definitely guilty of living life through a lens! I can't help it, I just love taking pictures and capturing the world through photographs.
Sometimes, however, I do feel like I need a little kick up the bum and for someone to tell me to put down the phone/camera and actually be part of whatever is happening.
My iPhone has reached it's photo storing capacity (just discovered the iCloud, it's all good!). That means I have taken 5000 photos on my phone in just six months. And that's just my phone! My camera has had a least 10,000. The photos that make the blog are only a small snippet of my life, the bits I want to share with a wider audience. There are many, many photos stored on my computer that will probably simply stay there.
I have been trying to install some "rules" into my photo taking life, especially as Alice is getting bigger now and understands when mummy is taking a photo and when she is really there, paying attention.
You may notice (or not...) that my instagram photos are not instant. Uploading photos and writing captions and sharing on Twitter and Facebook takes time, and that's time I could be spending with Alice. So I snap a few on my phone and upload them all later on in the day when I have a minute. My camera is pretty much an extension of myself as I just love taking pictures of the world around me.
So I have a rule for photos. When we go on a family outing somewhere, I take all the photos straight away, as quickly as I can. When I have taken a few, I put the camera away and enjoy the rest of the time with my family.
Occasionally I forget these rules and have to answer to a very annoyed looking husband who tells me to put the camera away for a minute because he wants to pull his pants up or something... But I do tend to stick to them most of the time. Taking photos IS important to me. The joy we get from looking over old photos together over a beer in the evening is brilliant. And not just photos of special occasions, pictures from everyday life!
But I'll tell you one thing. However amazing the pictures are, the memories from the day itself are far more precious. And I don't want my memories to be of simply taking pictures!
My name is Emma, I am a first time mum to Alice. I have recently got married to my best friend and we are navigating our way through parenthood in the City of London.
Blogs at: My Pretty Mummy
Twitter: @emmalondonuk