his picture life

There are a handful of blogs I read almost daily and, not surprising, most of the authors also have young children. One of my favorites right now is Pacing the Panic Room, which is written by a father who also is a professional photographer. (You may have seen this awesome weekly series he did of his wife's pregnancy.)

I really loved this post from last week about the importance of his daughter's early "picture life".

"When she looks back at her picture life I want her to see that she went places, that she stayed in motor hotels in beach towns, rode in planes on our laps -- that she saw things bigger than backyards. Swam in oceans. I want her to get it into her head early that the world is humongous and something that she deserves to see..."

My mom was always really good about taking pictures of us growing up. My early picture life is something really special to me and it's almost all thanks to her.



Each year my mom would put together a big album of photos from that year. One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to pore over them. I liked seeing myself as I grew, but more than that I liked the context - the special people and places in my life as they used to be and seeing that I was there too. There is something a little sad about the fact that young children don't remember the early years that are so special and important to everybody else. Pictures give you a way to capture at least a little bit of that magic in a bottle.

I got my first camera when I was nine, a Polaroid Supercolor 600, and I've been taking pictures ever since. When Matteo grows up I want him to see the photos we've taken of him and see that he was part of everything we did. I want him to see what our lives were like when he was a baby. I want him to know that we went to parades and on road trips and had parties. I want him to see himself being held by our family and friends and see the smiles on their faces from being close to him. I want him to always know, that from the day he was born, he has brought an incredible amount of joy to our lives.