Welcome to all you Dare to Dream readers!
How do I fit in here? Today I was the guest blogger.
Something about writing that post for a larger audience than my own little blog-o-sphere made me really think hard about what I was going to say. Was it important? Would people care? Would I say something that people hadn’t thought about before? Would it ring bells?
After reading it, what do you think? When you want to be someone, or experience life in some way do you give yourself an image (photographic, mental, verbal) of who or what you want that to be? Has a photograph changed the way you see your life? Yourself? I think the reason therapy works is because it helps you get out of yourself and see things from another perspective….it increases your self-awareness. Can a photograph be therapeutic?
I’d love to know what you think.
And…
I’d like to try and give you the same type of experience with photography as I had with this snapshot. So, leave me a comment. If you leave one before next Wednesday (June 24th) you’ll be eligible for two things:
1. 20% off a regular priced photo shoot (see my photography website for pricing info) for yourself or someone you know who lives in the Boston area.
2. A chance to win a free mini photo shoot ($150 value). In anticipation of all those family photos that people will need for holiday cards I will be holding three mini photo shoot sessions (four back to back slots in each location). They will be held this September and October on three different Saturday evenings (exact dates to be determined by me). One will be at Plum Island Beach (Newburyport), one will be in Somerville at this urban setting and one will be in downtown Boston on Beacon Hill. These sessions will be quick 25 min sessions (enough time for one, maybe two different group set ups). They will include one cd of 5-10 high resolution images for you to use and print as you like. They’re perfect for husbands and kids who hate getting their pictures taken.
If you’re the lucky winner, and you don’t live in Boston, you can give this as a gift to someone who does.
I’ll be choosing the winner randomly next Wednesday, so check back then!
So leave me a comment…..you might be really happy that you did.
When I think about the photos I cherish most, it is always the ones of Mike interacting with Caroline. My most favorite is the one you took of them sitting in front of a tree- he is just hugging her so tight and looks totally consumed with love for her. I also love the ones of him giving her raspberries her neck. She always laughs so hard, and I love having those moments captured forever. I think I like these even more than the ones of me with her because (a) you're right about being self critical...they're laugh lines, not wrinkles, right?... and (b) they are a tangible, and really powerful, reminder of the love my husband and daughter share. So thank you for helping capture some of those moments for us!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Whitney's Dare to Dream has been a powerful experience to connect and to learn.My children are leaving home and making new paths for themselves. When I look at their pictures from birthday parties, baptisms, cross country skiing or family reunions, their laughter, their realness fills those empty spaces - it is tangible and very powerful to remember them like this.I enjoyed your blog and your photographs. They tell many stories. Just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYour photography is just beautiful. I would love to have a chance to have you capture my relationship with my son and husband. Thanks so much for your thoughts on Whitney's blog.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to win!
ReplyDeleteSayds - I love it! I had a lot of the same thoughts last night as I was downloading the pictures from the the hospital onto my computer. I am usually ALWAYS taking the photographs so I am never in them - but with the new baby and all the kids coming to visit, I had to make Mike take on that duty. A small hospital room with 4 kids is pretty crazy and after 1 1/2 hrs. I was begging my husband to take them home, but when I viewed the pictures, the were beautiful and the interaction was beautiful! I am so grateful to have some real moment and real emotion shots and I think like you - I should hang a few on my fridge to remind me that despite the chaos I often feel, the reality may look (and should look) a bit different.
ReplyDeleteI thought your post on Whitney's blog was wonderfully relatable.
ReplyDeleteA photo that has inspired me in motherhood is a photo of my mom holding my brother in her arms and looking at my sister with her cheeks inflated offering my sis a chance to smoosh her cheeks & play. It illustrates for me that love multiplies and that I really DO have enough love & attention for all of my kids, even as I stumble through the usual unexpected things that come up each day. I need that reminder, esp. when I'm at my whit's end.
And what a nice giveaway! Your photography is beautiful and all of the locations you mentioned sound like nice settings.
Your post was gorgeous; I'm so glad to have discovered you.
ReplyDeleteMy profile photo is one my father took of me when I was four. He is a talented and avid photographer (when I was little, I thought everyone had a darkroom in their house). I cherish it and many others taken when I was tiny, because he left our family not long after this photo was taken, and the photos are almost all I have of him now.
Awesome - I've lived in the Boston area with my family for 6+ years and in that time we've only had one professional photo session. I've procrastinated that enough. I'll be making an appointment with you soon! Thank you for an amazing post!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post on Dare to Dream. I think we all need to get a different perspective on ourselves now and then, whether it's verbally through the kind (or even better, honest)comments of a friend, or visually, through looking at a photo. I find myself wanting more photos of me with my children, because they are growing up, and I am (unfortunately) growing older. Thanks for a really thought-provoking post.
ReplyDeleteI read your post on Dare to Dream & thoroughly enjoyed, but even more liked your thoughts here about writing for Whitney. YES, we cared, and YES, I appreciated what you said-quite a bit. And I'm glad to know someone else procrastinates folding laundry too. :-) Thanks for writing!
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are great, and I loved your post on Whitney's blog. I'll say it again--that picture of you with your son is GREAT! What gifts you have!
ReplyDeleteToo often I'm the one behind the camera, and all of my pictures do not have me with my children. I loved your thought about having a visual reminder, and it has become my goal to be in the pictures with my children more! Amy Jo
ReplyDeleteYour post was so touching. I'm so glad Whitney chose you as one of her guest dreamers.
ReplyDeleteWe attend various clinics at Boston Children's frequently, so we'd love to fit in a photo shoot, too.
love your photos my dear! i also love what you do w/ your kids! i love there blogs :)
ReplyDeleteLoved your dare to dream post, Saydi. It actually made me cry. This whole mom thing is so complex. I love it, but it's not always easy.
ReplyDeleteYour photography is beautiful. It was wonderful to see you recently.
I totally want a photoshoot! Great job Sayds!
ReplyDeleteSaydi --
ReplyDeleteDid you see that you won a copy of the Stay-At-Home Survival Guide for Moms?
http://bit.ly/IEMNq
P.S. You don't need to enter me in the photo shoot (I've experienced your photos; I want someone else to get to) just wanted you to know!
I'm an avid photo-enthusiast and mom of two little (and too-quickly getting not-so-little) girls. I loved your photos and what you wrote on Dare to Dream -- both about photography and about being a mom -- really resonates. Thank you, and best of luck pursuing your dreams!
ReplyDeleteSaydi,
ReplyDeleteI love your photos and so enjoy reading your blog. I remember when you originally posted about that day at the beach with you kids. It inspired me to make an effort to be in more photos with my two little guys, flaws and all. And while I have yet to capture anything as adorable as the one of you and Charlie, (or any photo of you with your darling family) I am so glad to have a little collection of "mommy moment" photos.
Sayds, I LOVE your post and the message about fulfilling our dreams. Thanks so much for sharing it. YOU ARE AWESOME. I LOVE your pictures!!!!
ReplyDeleteSaydi,
ReplyDeleteI loved your Dare to Dream post. It really moved me, as a social worker, as a (very) beginner photographer, as a woman, and a mother (someday). Thank you!
Lizzie (Hinckley) Davis