I have a picture problem. Actually, make that picture problems. Thanks to smartphones, we probably all do. While it is great- and so tempting- to be able to document all the moments in life, there are definitely downsides to constant access to a camera. Here are some of the ones that haunt me, and have me considering cutting (or at least cutting down) my picture addiction:
1) I have sooooooo many pictures.
There are more pictures than I could ever hope to look through. Figuring out how to store them (external hard drive? the cloud?) is overwhelming and actually printing them out rarely ever happens. For a while I tried to keep up and make albums, but I’m so behind that I’m torn. Do I just give up on the past few years and start from right now? Or do I backtrack to the birth of my second child? (He’s the only one without a baby album. No wonder middle children feel left out all the time!). Even then, how do I begin to sort which pictures to include or how big to make the album? And after all the effort, will anyone ever look at them anyway?
2) I feel sad that I’m hardly in any of them.
There are many posts that have been written about this one. But it’s not by choice that I am left out! It’s just that I’m usually the photographer. Any picture with me in it I either have to do via seflie or pose and ask someone to take a picture. Both of which always feel so awkward to me that I rarely do either. Besides, I don’t want every picture of me and my kids to be staged or to be taken with my face up close to the camera. I’m jealous that there are only a precious few candid shots with me in them compared to the many I’ve taken of my kids and husband. Even though I’ve asked, my husband just isn’t one to take a lot of pictures. It makes me feel bad that I won’t be in many of the moments I’m capturing even though I was there too!
3) My phone is always out.
Because I always want my camera nearby just in case, it means my phone is always in my pocket. It undermines my own rules about screen-free time for our kids when I have my phone whenever I want it. Always having my phone accessible makes it that much easier to check email, shoot a quick text or browse online- to zone out instead of focus on where I am. Which leads to…
4) I worry that I am missing the moment in order to capture it.
There is an illusion that if we capture a moment on film, we have it forever. But do we? Will we ever look at that picture again? And what will this generation of kids be like who have their every move documented and shared? I’m just as guilty as anyone for doing this, but I love taking pictures of our day and sharing them with my mom and sisters. It’s a hard habit to stop.
5) The pictures make me sad.
Seeing pictures of the kids as babies and toddlers is bittersweet. I loved them at that age, and love them now. But it can be sad to see how quickly time is going and how big they are getting. And don’t even get me started on videos! Those sweet baby voices and giggles make me want to cry.
I don’t have any solutions yet on to how to curb my picture addiction, but I plan to try.
