1. Identify the ghost in your family
This is the easiest step in capturing a ghost in photos. Look through all the family photos you have from the last few months. Perhaps they are all of the kids? Or maybe they are all of the kids with hubby? When you compare iPhones does your camera roll have approximately 1,382 photos of your partner and child, yet his has about 132 mostly of really weird stuff? No, just me and Dave then!
If you find a photo of you, is it because you accidentally put a thumb over the viewfinder or your foot got into the edge of the frame? Congratulations! You’re the ghost.
Or maybe you realise that all the photos are of you and it just never occurs to you to snap a photo of your partner when he or she is playing with the kids? Have you inadvertently made your partner the ghost?
In my husband’s case it definitely isn’t out of malice that I’ve ended up the ghost in our photo story. He derives his joy from watching our son and me play together. He captures things mentally and it genuinely never occurs to him to pick up the camera when he sees a sweet moment; he’d rather enjoy it authentically while it happens even though it’s then gone forever.
Me? I get my joy from knowing I have that moment captured so I can remember it and relive it through a photo. And, for that reason, I always have my camera close by. Therefore, it can sometimes feel hurtful that he doesn’t always immediately jump on the shutter button in return. But it isn’t. It’s just how we experience our lives differently.
I’m the accidental ghost. Maybe you’re the same?
2. Make a decision to capture this elusive ghost
Sadly, ghosts don’t just magically appear in photographs.
If you are the family ghost, you’ve ended up that way for a reason. You have a family who just don’t remember to take pictures with you in them. Or you don’t like being in the photo.
The reality is, it’s really hard to get other people to magically remember to snap photos. Or take good photos if your frustration is that they suck at photography 😉 Believe me, I’ve been nagging hubby for years but taking photos just isn’t in his nature!
If you don’t like being in the photos then I would strongly encourage you to read this article about why you need to exist in photos. And if you’re still not feeling it then read this one about all the things your kids do and don’t care about when it comes to family photos.
And then just be brave and get your ghostly self in front of my camera.
3. Make an appointment with this ghostbuster
OK, well this is getting a bit embarrassing for me now, but I was kind of stuck with the ghost theme!
Make this the year that you put family photos at the top of your priority list. Your kids are growing up and these moments are worth capturing, no matter the age they are at.
You deserve to exist in your family photos too. You owe it to your children’s future memories to be in them. And potentially to the future generations of your family.
If you don’t like posing and feel awkward about having your photo taken, a shoot with me is so relaxed that you’ll feel like you’ve got a friend round to hang out. It’s a totally cheese-free zone that captures the love and fun between your family members, which means it can slip into your everyday life rather than adding more to your already full plate.
If you want to see how the whole process of being photographed works then take a look at this link and let me put you back into your family photo gallery this year.
