A photograph is like hitting pause on life—a way to hold onto a moment we want to cherish and revisit anytime we need to.
I’ve had a camera in my hand for as long as I can remember. First it was the little disposable ones, then the fancy digital cameras in the ’90s, and now it’s our cell phones, with 47,000 photos and occasional warnings about full storage.
And naturally, along with all those photos come the comments from friends and family:
“Are you seriously taking another picture?”
“You’re obsessed with photos.”
“How many do you even have on there?”
And the classic, “Just be in the moment.”
But here’s the thing—for some of us, taking pictures isn’t just a picture. It’s part of who we are. Those photos tell the story of our lives…where we’ve been, who we love, what matters most.
Honestly, pictures are kind of my love language. Sometimes I can’t find the right words to say how much I treasure a person or a moment, but snapping that picture says it for me: “This mattered. You matter. I don’t ever want to forget this.”
And maybe it’s because I feel things so deeply, but photos are how I hold on when life is flying by. My camera is like a little safety net against time, keeping pieces of life I don’t ever want to lose and letting me re-visit whenever I want.
So yeah, maybe I take “too many pictures,” and some people love to tease me about it. But honestly, it’s because it means something to me. If you’re in the photo, it’s because I cherish YOU and don’t ever want to forget that moment with you.
Posting and Sharing Photos
I know people joke about posting “too many pictures,” but I think there’s another way to see it. For me, it comes from a heart overflowing with gratitude and joy in those little moments because life can be hard, but these photos are the silver linings. Maybe the one always behind the camera is just the one who can’t help but see the beauty in the little things—the stuff that’s easy to overlook but too special to forget.
As a mom, you get it. We share photos because life can be chaotic, messy, and stressful, and mothering can feel lonely. It’s our way to connect and make things relatable and lighthearted. Spaghetti faces, toothless grins, videos of kids chasing a ball down the field, babies asleep in their car seats, and yes, even the Target meltdowns. So maybe it’s not about posting too many pictures at all. Maybe it’s about saying, “Hey, we’re in this together.” We share the little moments so other moms can nod along, and so our families far away can feel like they’re right here in the chaos and joy with us. One day the noise will fade, but right now, we get to live it—and share it—together.
Beauty in the Everyday
It’s not always about the perfectly posed photos. So much of life’s beauty is tucked into the ordinary, tiny details. It’s catching a candid photo of a friend’s laugh before she even realizes it. It’s the way dew sparkles on a flower after the rain. Even the messy living room feels worth capturing—the stray socks and the snack wrappers tucked in the corner—because once the kids are asleep and the house is still, I know one day I’ll miss even this.
It’s having a house full of friends and noticing the shoes piled by the back door, feeling thankful for the life happening inside these walls. It’s snapping a quick photo while everyone is gathered around your table, eating and laughing. It’s snapping a photo of the parents’ faces at a soccer or football game, the excitement in their eyes, and the way they light up watching their kids play because the magic isn’t just on the field—it’s in the sidelines, in the faces of the people who love them most. It’s seeing a sweet teacher hug a little girl crying at morning drop off. It’s spotting the spark in a friend’s eyes when they’re doing something they love, or watching your spouse pour energy into something that matters to them.
These are the little details, the unpolished, everyday moments, that remind us just how much we have to be thankful for—one photo at a time.
The friend always with the camera out, the mom with too many photos, the one who can’t help but capture the small things…that’s me. I am her. And maybe it’s you too. Because at the end of the day, these aren’t just pictures, they’re the story of our lives.
And if you’re lucky enough to be in a photo, it’s because you’re part of what I never want to forget.
by Holly Lemons 
by Kelley Friedland 
