I’m lucky. I have some great family photos of my childhood - holidays, family vacations, birthday parties, camping trips, but also the details: the car we were incredibly embarrassed to be seen in, the bowl cut my sister and I shared for years, photos of our childhood home. Those photos are so valuable to me. There are, however, some moments that I wish I had photos of, but that were never taken because life is busy and, at the time, the importance of those moments wasn’t as obvious.
I was a very picky eater as a child and I was very particular about where I sat at the dinner table. My chair was different than all the others around the table. It had a white vinyl seat and the wood trim was originally a bright 70s orange but my parents had painted it white at some point so that it blended better with the dining room set they had bought. I still remember some spots where the orange peeked through. There were only a few things I would eat and I remember my mom making those classic kid friendly meals for me – KD, grilled cheese, tomato soup. I had a favourite green mug for the soup into which I would dip pieces of toast. I had a plate with bunnies on it that I had to use. I would count the bunnies and get lost in the little illustrations. I loved that plate so much. This type of memory makes me feel something about that time in my life. How many photos do I have of this mug, the plate, my mom making me grilled cheese, me by her side, helping her? None.
I wish I did have those photos, for me, but also so that I could have a visual record to show my kids. I wish I could give them an idea of what our day to day life looked like back then.
There are other moments that aren’t so clear for me. I don’t remember much about my first bedroom – I think it was pink. I don’t know what was hanging on the walls. I don’t remember what blanket I slept with or my favourite toy. I shared a room with my sister and we each still have our half of the bunk beds which our kids now use. How many photos do I have of my bedroom as a child? = 0 . How cool would it be to show my daughter that her bed was once mine and how it looked in my room, sitting below her aunt’s bed.
This is why I am so passionate about the documentary approach to photography. These memories are important and they are the photos we forget to take. You may not realize how much an object or expression can trigger memories and emotions. I want to give that gift to my clients – to give them a piece of their life now so that they can reconnect with it anytime. I want the kids to remember their favourite things and what their room looked like. I want them to see the love their parents have for them in the glances and hugs. I want them to know that life was messy, full of emotion, imperfect but beautiful. Honest, raw and meaningful. I want them to see their whole family together doing what they do on an ordinary day in their own home because those little moments are the big moments.
What moments from your childhood do you wish you had photos of? Or do you have a photo from childhood that you treasure because it tells part of your story? Share it below!
