Document your seasons

Document your seasons

By De Saison, Art of living and working

How often do you look at the photos you have taken on your phone? Often, right?

These days, our photo feed somehow tells our story and that of our family . We refer to it to find out what we were doing on this date last year and to watch the little faces of our little ones who have grown up.

Did you know that the story we tell ourselves about our life influences our emotions and our self-esteem ? The story we tell ourselves is very often the one we will remember. Ditto, therefore, for the story told by our photo stream!

What if you used the photo to document your seasons and those of your family ?
You may already be doing it, but this month we are sharing a simple approach, to be done as a family and inspired by the seasons.

Document your seasons in photos - two simple steps!

Taking photos with the idea of ​​documenting the season in mind takes us elsewhere. We then no longer think only of taking pictures of major events such as birthdays or people only in portrait mode, but also the physical context and the more insignificant moments that are significant for us or our children. This is the very essence of documentary photography. We love so much to remember our little habits, our rituals, our traditions. Imagine if in addition we had them in pictures!

When a moment touches you or during your recurring moments such as walking on the way to school, playtime, snack time or mealtime, remember to photograph seasonal dishes, habits, preferences or games of the moment .

Another trick can be to organize a seasonal photo rally with the children. Together, you try to find small seasonal details to photograph, which will help you get closer to better look at nature and other details that represent your experience.

I admit that it can then be difficult not to photograph EVERYTHING, but soon you will develop a sixth sense to photograph on the sly an evocative detail that you do not want to forget. But for now, why not let yourself be carried away by inspiration? You will be able to sort and keep your favorite photos and those that evoke "your story" at the end of the season.

With this family storytelling approach in mind, what new photos would you like to take? Details of the places or the current season perhaps? Ambient photos or maybe also photos that include not only the children, but also the friends and adults who accompany them?

PS: Each person has their point of view on the story. What if you asked your children to tell you about the photos from the last season? What would they tell you that you missed? Write down everyone's stories and add them to your notes or, if you make it that far, to your photo album!

Our children would surely be happier to be able to bring their childhood albums to their first apartment rather than a hard drive… But it's true that we have so many photos today that we no longer have the energy to sort or print them. What if we made our job easier?

Splitting the creation of photo albums by season makes the task just digestible enough ; per month is too close together and per year is tedious work that leaves us with a lot of photos to clean up. Even if you don't print, purifying your photo stream with each change of season can serve as an introspective ritual.

We take the opportunity to write a few notes on the key moments, the anecdotes, the key characteristics of our children, their preferences ; in just a few lines, you can "write the story of that season", while wondering if there are important events that have NOT been photographed and that would still be worth highlighting . Admit that once we've done all that, it would be boring to just post it on Instagram.

After doing all this work, there are not many steps left before having a small album to print. Simple applications such as those of large pharmacies or that of Chatbooks allow you to download your selection of photos and your notes in a jiffy (or an evening!).