Stacey Haslem » Portraiture & Fine Art Photography

Here are three out of four of my little bobble heads. The fourth wasn’t to keen on being mommy’s little bobble head. Maybe another day.

I love my place behind the lens. When I am asked to take pictures of others and I see someone squirming or turning a head, I relate. In that moment, I am glad I am the one with camera in hand. As a photographer though, I have learned that the squirming and head turns usually aren’t flattering. If you are going to get your picture taken, you might as well make the best of it. Easier said than done.

I network with a lot of other photographers. Lately, we have been discussing how most of our families appear ‘mommy-less’ in our images which are our preserved memories. One afternoon I decided to take the time to get behind the camera. I set my camera on a stack of books to capture me and Leah’s daily rolling on the floor full of tickling. Now, I can look at these and find all the things I don’t like, but I know when Leah sees these as an adult she will not see all my imperfections in me that I see. And when I look at them when she is an adult I will remember what a sweet little girl she is and how much joy she brings me! Worth it.

Warning: these are just snaps, Leah and I playing on the couch, grabbing my camera and shooting away in a matter of seconds. Even though I didn’t spend the time looking for a less distracting background or better lighting, never mind the lens distortion, I still LOVE them. She is so darn goofy. I love her tongue sticking out, the raised eyebrows, and those little teeth beneath the smile-all within a couple of minutes. And I just couldn’t keep these to myself.  Ahhh, she’s my little girl…forever.