Real Talk and Confessions of a 40-Something Sistah: Take The Picture And Capture The Moment

I’m about to get a little personal with y’all.

Sometimes, I can be self-conscious about the way I look … especially when it comes to my weight. I know I’m well in my forties, and I am at peace with the fact that my high metabolism days have been long gone. I also realize that it’s kinda hard to lose weight because I love to eat and hate to exercise. But there are times when I look at myself in the mirror and wonder, “Who in the hell is THAT?!?!?” Full face. Chubby cheeks. Belly rolls. Dimples in places they have no business being.

My self-consciousness gets especially high when it’s time to take pictures. I either avoid taking pictures all together or I spend way too much time trying to manipulate my surroundings so I can capture the best possible angle of myself. I cringe when Facebook friends tag me in photos in fear that an unflattering photo of me will be posted.

I have wanted my family to take portraits for a couple years now, but I have not scheduled any photography sessions for us because I was concerned about how I would look in the photos. I don’t want to immortalize all my thickness on canvas for the world to see … forever.

And ever.

Recently, I saw, fell in love with, and bought t-shirts for my family, and I thought it would be cute to take some informal photos of us in the shirts. In my excitement over these t-shirts, I called the photographer and set up the session. When I hung up the phone, my first thought was, “Ummm, so how do I lose 50 pounds in the next week?”

We had the session about a week later. We met our photographer at a local park and had a really fun time taking our pictures.

A couple days later, we got our proofs back … and I couldn’t have been more pleased with what I saw. When I saw my family’s pictures, what struck me was how happy we looked. We were smiling, having fun, and enjoying each other’s company. I saw two beautiful kids with beautiful brown faces being kissed by the sunlight. I marveled at how big my son has gotten. He’s taller than me now, and it won’t be much longer before he’s taller than my husband. I chuckle because my husband and I took a picture together. We’ve been together and/or married for 24 years, and you can see we still like each other in the pictures (lol).