Mama truth photography: Beauty in the everyday crazy

The morning Portland family photographer Ashley of Weeno Photography was scheduled to come to our house for a Mama Truth Session, I nearly called it off. Eric had been out of town for days. It took me two hours to get the girls to sleep the night before. And then they woke up at 5. But I didn’t cancel. Instead, I thought to myself, “Ashley is about to get more truth than she bargained for.”

Lately, the girls have been challenging. They’re chronically tired and we have been struggling to ensure they get more rest. They fight over ridiculous things (“I want the yellow bowl.” “No mine lellow!”). Kiwi cries and throws epic tantrums that we can do nothing to soothe.

So I’m not entirely sure why I thought I wanted a Mama Truth Session, where photographer Ashley LaMattino-Perlberg comes to your house to hang out for a few hours and captures whatever happens, from making a snack to soothing a booboo.

I think it was our initial contact. “The beauty in the everyday is always there,” she said. “And yet it’s so hard to see it ourselves. That’s why these sessions are so important!” Her words resonated deep within me. And it turns out she is so right.

A Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour MamaA Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour MamaWhy mamas deserve candid photos of themselves—and not only staged family photography—to show the everyday beauty of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

I’m so grateful we did a Mama Truth photography session, which Ashley did for free for my family. The photos are beautiful, yes. Even more, though, the photographs showed me the beauty of my everyday life with my kids. And get this: Below, you can enter a giveaway for a chance to win half-off a Mama Truth Session with Weeno Photography. And anyone who mentions this blog post by the end of October will get $100 off a Mama Truth family photography session. Read on to find out more and enter!

We received a free family photography session in exchange for a blog post. As always, all opinions are my own.

A Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour MamaA Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour MamaA Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Living just outside the photo frame

I’m the slightly annoying person who constantly pulls out her phone to capture random, sweet moments of the kids. I love the unposed snapshots of the girls playing with Nana, reading by themselves or wrestling with Dad.

Yet I am in very few of these shots, unless I ask someone to take one.

If photographs are evidence of a live lived, I’m more often just beyond the photo frame—and I know I’m not the only one.

In fact, that’s why Ashley LaMattino-Perlberg started doing Mama Truth family photography sessions.

Why you deserve professional family photography—including candid photos showing the beauty of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Ashley’s mom died six years ago, and the Portland family photographer found that she connected most with the candid, everyday shots with her mom in them. Yet Ashley was mostly absent from photos with her own family, including her husband and two young sons.

“I realized I am always missing. I realized I am a ghost in our family photos,” she told me. “I also realized how quick the moments with my boys are going. So I wanted to take those days that seem like Groundhog Day and make them into photographs.”

Capturing mama truth in family photography

So Ashley’s premise, that we mothers should have photos of us with our children, too, hit home. I wanted her to capture what a regular day was like for us—well, maybe slightly more photogenic than “regular.” (My truthiest truth session would have a lot more junk on the floor and a lot more of me saying “just a second!” as I answered emails on my phone or washed the dishes.)

Yet I was wholly unprepared by the rush of emotion I felt when Ashley sent me the preview of our session.

A Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour MamaA Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour MamaA Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

My everyday crazy is beautiful.

I’m gonna say it again: My everyday crazy is beautiful.

Yes, Ashley’s talent as a photographer helps a whole lot (as does the fact that I parked the kids in front of Elmo so I could shower that morning). But the stuff that makes up our everyday—the make believe, the snuggles, even the fight to comb the tangles out of Peeper’s hair—is beautiful. It is tender. It is honest. It is real.

And that’s what Ashley’s Mama Truth Sessions are all about. “I am not here to take the next cool photo, or be the next cool photographer,” Ashley says. “I am here to make history—I am here to document truth.”

A Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour MamaA family photography session in Portland Oregon captured beautiful candid moments of motherhood and my kids. Ten Thousand Hour MamaA Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Photography captures what we’ll remember

It’s a funny fact of life that we end up remembering a lot of our childhood through photographs. I remember one day of playing with our stuffed animals out on the deck because of a snapshot of that day. I remember trick or treating with my siblings and mom, and the fairy dress with layers of warm clothes bundled underneath, because someone took that picture.

I want my kids to remember me through photos, too.

A Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour MamaA Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

I hope they’ll remember all of it (well maybe not the yelling, but if they do, I guess they’ll know that everyone loses her temper sometimes).

Our Mama Truth Session will help them remember what was a regular morning in our house. Ashley didn’t pose us or encourage us to smile big. She spent about two hours with us, hanging out and joining us for the ride that is everyday motherhood.

Beauty in the everyday crazy

You see, I don’t need or want them to remember a perfect childhood. I don’t hope to be remembered as a perfect mother.
(That’s good because that’s not what Weeno Photography Mama Truth Sessions are about!)

These gorgeous images remind me—and will later remind my kids—that something doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

A Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour MamaA Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour MamaA Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Often I doubt that our everyday lives, filled as they are with unwashed hair and obstacle courses of foot-poking toys and all the missed sleep, are beautiful. But these Mama Truth photos from Weeno Photography showed me, well, the truth. They showed me that my imperfection is lovely. They showed me that motherhood doesn’t have to be Instagram-ready to be worthwhile. They showed me there is beauty in the everyday crazy.

Thank you, Ashley.

A Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour MamaA Mama Truth family photography session from a Portland photographer showed me the beauty in the everyday crazy of motherhood. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Now! Ashley is a crazy-generous spirit overall, and she’s offering readers of the Ten Thousand Hour Mama a $100 off promotion for a Mama Truth Session through the end of October!

Plus! You can enter below to get half-off a Mama Truth family photography session!

The photos in this post should be proof that you’ll love your family photography, too. Because I love mine, and working with Ashley of Weeno Photography has made me into somewhat of an evangelist for the need to capture the everyday beauty of motherhood.

Because you—and your everyday crazy—are beautiful.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

12 thoughts on “Mama truth photography: Beauty in the everyday crazy

  • August 28, 2017 at 1:57 pm
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    I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love this. The premise of her photography sessions, how I love that you didn’t cancel because that probably made it that much more of a truth session, and the photos themselves… this post makes my mama heart so happy! 🙂 Fully agree: “the beauty in the every day is always there.” Sometimes it takes looking through a different person’s lenses to see the beauty in ours. What magical memories she has captured for you and your girls!
    Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife recently posted…FOOD BLISS: My Family’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Banana Bread RecipeMy Profile

    Reply
    • August 28, 2017 at 2:03 pm
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      I’m just so happy to share these photos because of that! We could all stand a reminder that everyday life is precious – even if you’ve gotten like zero sleep. 😉

      Reply
  • August 28, 2017 at 5:42 pm
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    Oh my goodness, I love these! I’m entering the giveaway because you know I’d kill for some of these. If I don’t win, they’ve renewed my commitment to beg you to take some pictures of us!

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    • August 28, 2017 at 9:17 pm
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      I’m so glad you entered, Kelsey!!! We’ve talked before about how we moms are so seldom in photos, especially candid ones of us interacting with our children. These photos are seriously so special.

      Reply
  • August 28, 2017 at 9:39 pm
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    I would love to have these photos to remind me everyday why I choose to be a stay-at-home parent. I often find myself letting the little frustrations of the day get the best of me so it would be nice to have some photos of me and my kids just doing our thing so when those moments hit I can look at these photos as reminders of what an opportunity I have.

    Also I am never in photos with my kids so this would be a nice change.

    Reply
  • August 28, 2017 at 10:12 pm
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    Wellll now I’m tearing up. Those photos are lovely! So candid, honest and beautiful too. What a great idea to capture those “every day” moments. And so true about us moms often being absent in photos. Our babies need memories of us too! So sweet 🙂

    Reply
    • September 2, 2017 at 6:40 am
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      Thank you Megan! Although I love a good selfie, they shouldn’t be the only photos we mamas are in. 😉

      Reply
  • August 29, 2017 at 4:09 pm
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    This gave me pause that I’m often alright with our “staged” family photos as I feel I can prepare, but in the summer we have had, I want to immortalize our girls, in this season, WITH me! Thanks for your candid honesty and these pictures our beautiful!

    Reply
  • August 29, 2017 at 4:10 pm
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    This gave me pause that I’m often alright with our “staged” family photos as I feel I can prepare, but in the summer we have had, I want to immortalize our girls, in this season, WITH me! Thanks for your candid honesty and these pictures our beautiful!

    Reply
    • September 2, 2017 at 6:39 am
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      Your “staged” family photos are beautiful, Sarah. I think of more candid photos like these as an additional way to show your family together. I hope you do some, too!

      Reply
  • August 29, 2017 at 6:46 pm
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    I love this idea! And your photos turned out beautifully. This is such a great momento for your family. I would love to do this!

    Reply
    • September 2, 2017 at 6:38 am
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      I hope you do, too Mary Ann! Photos are irreplaceable. 🙂

      Reply

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