Mums, You Need to Get in the Bloody Photo

I know what you are thinking: You will get in the photos when you lose the weight. When your skin clears up. When you find something decent to wear. When you feel like yourself again.

I know because I have said every single one of those things myself.

Mums should be in family photos because your children will treasure images of you long after the moment has passed. Your presence in a photo changes everything about it.

A 2025 UK survey found that 58% of new mums are rarely or never in photos with their baby during the first year, and 66% say it makes them sad. That breaks my heart, because I know exactly how it happens.

As a mum of two teenagers, I look back at our family albums and there is a gap where I should be. Plenty of photos of the kids. Barely any of me with them. And the ones that do exist are dodgy selfies with double chins and messy buns and bad lighting. Those photos do not capture what I was to my family during those years. They do not show the way my kids curled into me or the way I held them like they were the most important thing in the world.

Because they were.

If you are a mum who keeps stepping out of the frame, this one is for you.

Your Kids Will Not Remember Your Arms

Here is what your children will see when they look at photos of you in twenty years. They will see the mum who was there. The mum who held them, carried them, wiped their faces and picked them up when they fell over. They will see safety, connection and love.

They will not notice your {INSERT PERSONAL INSECURITY HERE}. They will not care about your outfit. They are going to see you. Just you. And that will be everything.

I have photographed over 1,600 families in 15 years and I can tell you with absolute certainty that the images where mum is in the frame are always the most powerful ones in the collection. Always. Not because they are technically perfect, but because a mother's presence changes everything about a photo.

The way kids lean into their mum. The way they look up at her. The way their whole body relaxes when she is close. That cannot be faked and it cannot be captured if you are standing behind the camera instead of in front of it.

The Excuses I Hear, And TBH I Get Every One

Every mum who walks through my studio door has a version of the same worry.

I hear it in the phone call when they book. I hear it the day before the session. I hear it when they arrive and say something like "I'll just watch the first few shots."

"I don't look good in photos."

"I'm not photogenic."

"Just focus on the kids, they're the cute ones."

I get it. I really do. But I also know something that most mums don't realise until they see the final images. You look incredible when you are looking at your children. When you are holding them. When you are laughing at something silly they just said. Your face changeS, your body softens and the photo becomes something you could never have planned or posed for.

That is the photo your kids will frame one day. Not the selfie on your phone but the one where you were fully there, fully present, fully in the moment with them.

The Kind-Eyed Filter

Try something for me right now. Pull out your phone and find a photo of yourself from ten years ago. Look at her, like, really look.

I bet you are kinder to her than you were at the time. You are not thinking about her arms or her skin or whatever she was stressing about that day. You are just seeing her. And holy shit she looks great!

Which is so WEIRD because you didnt like that photo when you took it...

Now imagine yourself ten years from now, looking back at a photo of you today with that same kind-eyed filter.

You would not see the things you see right now. You would just see a mum who was right in the middle of raising her kids. And you would give anything to come back to this moment.

That is why you need to be in the photos now. Not when you feel ready. Now.

Yeah, You Do Not Have to Feel Ready

One of the biggest things that stops mums from being in family photos is this idea that they need to feel ready first. That there is some future version of themselves who will be more confident, more put together, more photo-worthy.

I need you to hear this. That version of you is not coming. Not because you will not change, but because the bar keeps moving. There will always be a reason to wait. And while you wait, your kids are growing up without proof that you were there in the thick of it with them.

Every woman deserves to be remembered in a beautiful, powerful moment with her children. Whether it is lifting them above her head or having them wrap their arms around her with the same intensity she cuddled them as babies. Every single mum deserves that.

And your family album deserves to show the full picture. Not just the kids. You too.

How I Make It Feel Easy for Mums

I am not going to pretend that being photographed is the most natural thing in the world. Most people feel a bit awkward in front of a camera, especially mums who have spent years avoiding it.

So here is what actually happens when you come to my [INTERNAL LINK: family photography page] studio in Bunya, Brisbane.

I guide you through everything. Where to put your hands. How to stand so you feel comfortable. Which way to tilt your head so the light is doing all the work for you. You do not have to think about a thing.

And then I say something like "everyone smile at the person with the stinkiest feet." And suddenly nobody is thinking about the camera anymore. They are laughing. For real. And that is the moment I capture.

I guide you into position gently, and then the real stuff happens on its own.

I have been doing this for over 14 years and I have never had a mum leave a session saying "I wish I hadn't been in the photos." Not once. The opposite happens every single time. They see themselves through their children's eyes and it changes how they feel about the whole experience.

This Is Your Permission to Be in the Frame

You do not need to wait until you feel ready. You do not need to lose weight or buy a new outfit or fix your hair. You just need to show up.

I will take care of everything else.

If you have been thinking about getting your family in front of the camera, and maybe even letting yourself be in the photos this time, I would love to chat.

No pressure, just a conversation about what you want and how I can make it happen so you don't miss out on being present in this amazing season of your life.

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About the Author

Natarsha March is an award-winning Brisbane newborn, baby and family photographer with over 15 years of experience and more than 1,600 families photographed. She is known for her relaxed, stress-free sessions where mums and kids actually enjoy themselves (yes, it is possible). Based in Bunya, Brisbane, Tarsh creates natural, heartfelt images that focus on real connection, not stiff poses. If you are looking for a trusted photographer in Brisbane who makes the whole experience feel easy, Family Photography by Natarsha March is your girl.