When feelings change | A personal post

Have you ever been so into something, you just couldn’t imagine life without it? You can’t remember what you did before that thing came along and took up so much of your time…

There was a time when I started every day with scrolling through my phone, mainly Instagram and Facebook. Mindlessly scrolling through words and images from everyone else’s life . This went on for years. Countless hours were lost to my phone screen.

Then, one day in November of last year, I realised that my feelings about Facebook and Instagram had changed. I had completely lost the urge to scroll. It’s like my brain needed a break from the continuous bombardment of advertising, imagery, information, suggestions, etc. I decided to step back and take a break for the month of December. And because I don’t do anything by halves, I took the audacious step of removing Facebook and Instagram from my phone (cue scary music). Now I won’t lie, I was a tad trepidatious about this. The FoMO (fear of missing out) was strong initially. But I was determined and braved it out.

And do you know what happened? Absolutely nothing. Life went on perfectly fine without my daily immersions into social media. The FoMO virtually disappeared overnight and my mornings became scroll-free. It also turns out I was able to free up way more time to read and study the two things that really interest and fascinate me: personal development and spiritual growth. I went inwards instead of always looking outwards. It was so recharging and invigorating.

I wondered though if by January I’d be itching to dip my toes into those virtual worlds again, but no. I still haven’t reinstalled FB or IG back on my phone. I haven’t gone completely cold turked though as I still use Facebook from time to time for business purposes. I enjoy blogging and the Jolly blog is connected to my FB business page, but for the most part I’m not half the scroller I used to be.

Maybe sometime in the future my feelings will change again. Maybe I’ll go back to regular scheduling and scrolling. I like to keep my options open. For now though, I’m enjoying the freedom :).

Printed photographs are what matter | Familjefotograf Stockholm

When I suddenly lost my only brother four years ago, the whole family scrambled for photographs of him. No, it wasn’t the photos online that we looked at and cried and smiled over, it was all the printed photographs. They were the ones we held in our shaking hands and stared at in disbelief. Those smiling photos of him were the ones that pulled on our heartstrings. A couple of months after he passed, a very old friend kindly sent me a card to say how sorry she was for my loss. Inside that card was a selection of photos from my brother’s graduation. He was happy and handsome in those pictures, and I sobbed my heart out as I slowly looked through them. I was sad for what I had lost, but also so very grateful to have received those priceless photographs.

To this day, one of my most treasured items is a photograph of my brother and I, taken during St Patrick’s Day celebrations in New York. We are happy and carefree and he has his arm around me. Every evening I light a candle in front of this photograph. The photo honors his memory and makes me feel like he is still around :)

And what about you? Do you print your photographs? Do you make photo books out of all those digial files taking up space on your phone/hardrive? Do you gift actual printed photographs to grandparents/aunts/uncles/siblings, etc? Do you have family photos on your walls? Do you have a photo album of your baby’s first year? Do you have physical family photo albums your children can flick through once they’re old enough to appreciate them?

Do you feel that because we live in a digital age that you only need digital files? When you’re old and feeling sentimental and want to remember all those good times, how do you even know those digital images will survive? Would you not rather have all those special memories in print? To me, having a photograph in print means actually owning it. It is real. It is a physical version of that image, one that cannot be lost to a digital incident or accident.

Printed photographs are priceless.

Don't forget grandma and grandpa | Familjefotograf Stockholm

“Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild.” ~Welsh Proverb

When was the last time you took a photo of your parents with your children? Do you have a beautiful photograph of you with your own grandparents? Does your child have a photo of them with their grandmother or grandfather? Maybe your father takes your eldest child fishing every Saturday. Do you have a photograph of this? Maybe your mother likes to read to your daughter. Have you documented this?

And what about the great-grandparents in the family? They are a vital part of family dynamics, too. Are they regularly included in photographs?

I once had a client who asked me to take a photo of his daughter with his grandmother. It was a fleeting moment, captured quickly on camera, and has since become one of my client’s most cherished photos because his grandmother died shortly after the photo was taken .

That bond betwen grandchildren and their grandparents can be such a beautiful thing.

My approach to photographing tweens and teens | barnfotograf Stockholm

In a nutshell, I let them be themselves :). I give them tips on what to wear - something that won’t embarrass them when they look back on the photos in years to come. We chat, I make bad jokes and I basically capture them as they are. If they don’t feel like giving me a big smile, that’s absolutely okay. If they want to horse around and be playful, that’s okay too. If they want to channel their inner James Dean and just be cool, I will photograph that.

I love when families book photo sessions for their tweens and teens. These are their last few years before they fly the nest, why not capture this period. I know one mom who gives each of her children a big photo book when they move out, full of all the key moments in their life. I will definitely be stealing that idea for my girls when the time comes :)