There's no way any of us can remember it all and that is where our photographs take center stage.  They remind us of friends and relatives long past, houses we grew up in, haircuts we should never repeat, personal victories and world travels. When we look through them, we appreciate the emotional content the most. So the question becomes, how do I do that better? How do I tell the story in a way that will bring me back to this specific moment in time and allow me to relive it even just for a second?

The first step to better photographs is when you reach for your camera, quickly stop and ask yourself, what is the story that I am trying to tell? If the story is of your baby picking up her first Cheerio, that story is small. What I mean is that it only needs to include her hands, the Cheerios and maybe the determined expression on her face. We do not need the rest of the room, the laundry pile or whatever else is behind her. Conversely, if your kids are standing in front of Cinderella's Castle at Disney, that story is bigger and needs to include the castle and more background. The practice of asking yourself this question and being more mindful when you shoot will create images that tell your story much more clearly.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the story is different for everyone. Your most heartfelt images may not speak to me as they do to you and vice versa. You were there and I wasn't. So, don't worry too much about whether or not your images will speak to a stranger, think only about how to make them speak to you and the people in them. That is who matters the most. Whatever you do, don't get discouraged as you practice. Photograph as you would if you were taking piano lessons. Make yourself practice often and know that, with each shot, you get a little bit better. Your fingers become more nimble at the controls and your eye is being trained to see the story. Don't fret about missed opportunities or mishaps, not even the pros get the shot every time. Your families will be grateful for any part of the story that you tell.

When I look at this image, I see Sayer's funny Christmas skull socks. It makes me smile because, like me, he has an affinity for patterned socks with crazy stuff all over them. Finn does too. I love it that he's still wearing the Christmas ones in July. Steven always shakes his head at us and our silly socks. This picture was taken on the beach in San Francisco where we spent the month of July (go backwards on the blog to see what all we did). It makes me think of San Francisco and how cold the water was but they ran and played in it anyway. I also think about the day we bought those shoes. We had to have THOSE because they came in a cool box and had lights. In the not too distant future he won't want shoes with lights and might even only want to wear white socks. For now though, this picture is pure Sayer.

I'd love to see your pictures and hear your stories. Please share by leaving links to your images, blogs, Flickr, etc. in the comments section below. If you like, you can add your images to our Monday Lesson Flickr Pool. Don't be shy, your input makes this all so much more fun for everyone. Happy Monday friends!