5 Tips To Help You Photograph Real Life Moments

Thank you to Minute Maid for sponsoring this conversation about capturing real life moments. All opinions are my own.

Do you find yourself only posting your highlight reel instead of your real life?

According to a recent study commissioned by Minute Maid:

“94% of parents who post pictures or videos of their family on social media admit to posing or staging at least one of them”

Social media feeds today are full of picture-perfect moments that don’t necessarily represent our real lives. It has become common practice to only post the best photos or photos that only show us in a positive light.  We tend to share our “highlight reels” instead of photos that celebrate our families exactly how they are.

That’s why Minute Maid is encouraging parents to start telling it like it really is and sharing real family moments. Minute Maid is challenging the perfectly-staged photos, pristine playrooms and beautifully plated family dinners that fill our social media feeds. Because at the end of the day, no matter how your family looks – this is GOOD.

I love this campaign because I’ve always been a champion of capturing genuine everyday moments. Because that’s where REAL life is. Those little bits of everyday eyecandy are the moments that we look back on and remember the most. So, to help YOU capture all of those REAL everyday moments in your real lives, I have 5 tips to help you photograph real life moments.

1.Bring your camera everywhere you go.

Now whether that is your camera phone, your point and shoot or your DSLR: have it ready. Because there is nothing worse than having those real everyday moments unfold in front of you when you don’t have your camera! So, keep your camera handy so you are ready to snap that memory before it’s gone.

2.Don’t direct your family, observe.

 

“More than one-third (36%) of parents who post pictures or videos of their family on social media admit to staging or posing most or nearly all of them.” *

It’s so hard not to tell your children to “smile” when all you want is that perfect photo to share on social media in front of that museum on family vacation. Instead, capture your children as they are. Because right now, capturing them as they are may mean capturing an attitude but years later that attitude and that photo will be something to cherish.  

 

3.Tell your story by capturing the details.

 

Sometimes, the messy details of your family’s everyday tell your family’s story the best. While styled images of your kids and your house are beautiful, sometimes those photos lack heart or a sense of who you all really are. Think about the things that make your family unique and capture the details of the story. For me, it’s the way my son’s shoe strings are always untied, the intense way he plays a video game or the how he and my husband have their own unique bond.

 

It’s the little moments that matter.

4.Don’t let a messy house make you not take the photo.

 

“More than four-in-five (81%) of parents who post pictures or videos of their family on social media admit they have avoided posting a picture or video because something embarrassing was in the background, and 80% of parents have avoided posting because their house looked messy.” *

Don’t let the color on your walls or your messy kitchen, the cluttered bedroom or that cabinet that needs to be replaced stop you from capturing real moments in your house. The mess is a part of your story. Life is not always neat as a pin. Life is messy. Motherhood is messy. Capture it.

5.Get in the frame.

 

“43% of parents who use social media agree they only post flattering photos or videos of their family on social media.” *

 

You are a part of this messy real life, make sure you document it. As mother and chief memory keeper, so often we forget to include that we were there too. Make sure you hand your camera off to someone, put your camera on a tripod or turn your phone around for selfie mode and GET IN THE FRAME. You were there too, and you want your kids to remember you being there. Document your days with you in them.  

Minute Maid is launching a new campaign: this is GOOD to encourage parents to share more of their real life moments on social media. The campaign is here to remind parents that life isn’t always perfect but that even the messy moments should have you saying this is GOOD!  

So, I have a challenge for you: Join this campaign and share your own real everyday eyecandy/moments on social media with the hashtag #thisisGOOD. Don’t forget to tag @MinuteMaid on Facebook and @MinuteMaid_US on Instagram. Remember real moments are beautiful! Can’t wait to see what you share!

*These statistics are a part of a survey from Minute Maid that uncovers how parents are using social media to share their family online.