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Our World

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Photo by Portland Family Photographer Macy of Motormouth Studios

I think it is pretty easy for a person to forget that they aren’t the center of the universe. Watching my toddler grow up I’ve been reminded over and over again that some things feel like they are going to crash your entire world. Sometimes it feels like your problems are the most important. Sometimes a tantrum is just the thing to do.

I keep using the terms “they” and “your” here because it is hard to admit to being the one that sometimes gets lost in my own little world, to placing myself at the center of the universe. Bitching, complaining, getting angry, or even just feeling sorry for myself is often a little too easy.

Living in a very connected world, I easily forget how BIG the world really is… While I can easily engage with people from all over the globe—read personal stories of people I’ll likely never meet, connect via Twitter, or even Skype with family living abroad—there is an entire plane full of people lost somewhere out there in this gigantic planet we have. It baffles me. It even scares me at times. In this case it saddens me greatly. But, mostly, it makes me feel small.


(A tweet I read & shared that hit home.)

Feeling small isn’t a bad thing necessarily. Sometimes it can be a good thing. Have you ever been outdoors, surrounded by a sky full of stars and suddenly felt tiny? Have you stood in awe looking up at the trees in a forest reaching as high as you can see? I’ve often searched out that feeling… that moment of realizing that the world is larger than me and my life. I tend to use it as a reminder to center myself, breathe, and remember that my problems aren’t quite as large as they feel. Sometimes I celebrate the moments that I have the opportunity to feel small.

I am sure that countless innovations have come from that feeling of being small, of stepping back and thinking about how to solve problems, bridge the gap, and find the planes that go missing. As I feel small in this moment I am trying to gain perspective on what really matters, take the time to put effort into those things I value, and make my world a little bit bigger in the process.

My thoughts are with the families, friends, and those who are searching for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. I hope that the world can get a little smaller, connect, and bring news of what happened to the flight. I also hope that this makes others feel a little small, that innovation may happen, and that people may step outside themselves for even just a few moments.

What has made you feel small lately and how did you respond?

 

 

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Family Photos by Motormouth Studios

When I was a child I loathed taking family photos. Everyone had to get dressed up in nearly identical clothing and head to a stuffy studio where we posed awkwardly and pasted smiles on our faces. Even if we had a great photographer, the experience was never too amazing. I’m glad we have those photos. But, I’m even more glad that today’s “family photos” have an entirely different feel to them.

This year, as a gift to our parents and siblings, we hired Macey from Motormouth Studios for our family photos. It was freezing outside, but we had a clear and beautiful day to work with as we took our family photos in SE Portland. I gave everyone a loose color scheme to work with and asked them to join us for an hour of taking photos. SO much better than family photos when I was a kiddo.

I couldn’t be more thrilled with these photos. Each day when I wake up and drink my coffee before I head off to work I look around at the photos on the walls of my living room and smile big.

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Photo by Motormouth Studios
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Photo by Motormouth Studios
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Photo by Motormouth Studio
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Photo by Motormouth Studios
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Photo by Motormouth Studios

 What were your family photos like growing up? Awesome? Lame? Tell me all about it… and, if you have a photo, share a link!

I was born, raised, and attended college in Oklahoma. You’d think that over twenty years living in a state prone to natural disasters would prepare me for the devastation I am seeing from the images coming out of Oklahoma. Years of learning how to duck and cover… to roll into a ball, covering your neck and head with your arms, in a room with no windows or furniture that can fall. Years of SEEING the devastation first hand. Years of actual loss. None of that prepared me for the images coming from my friends and family this past week.