Mother’s Day is almost upon us, and perhaps some of you still haven’t figured out the ideal gift yet. It can be incredibly difficult to find that perfect present, but if you’re lucky enough to have a mum who is also a photographer, we are here to help with our alternative Mother’s Day Gift Guide. If you’re a Mum With A Camera then fear not, we are serious about our mission to ensure that you get what you really want for Mother’s Day, and not yet another DSLR-shaped pendant, lens mug or floral-scarf camera strap. From one ‘mom-tographer’ to another, you’re welcome.
A free day to go out and take photographs
By this, I mean a free day to go out and take photographs by herself. That is, without a million kids and a grumpy partner tagging along asking when is she going to be finished, moaning about wanting another snack, and worrying if the toddler is about to throw himself off a cliff during the precise 1/100 of a second that the shutter is being pressed down. And if she needs child care in order to do this, please take care of that as well. Really, most of us would give anything for the opportunity to “do our thing” with our cameras with no worrying about what everyone else is doing.
Organise her camera/studio equipment/props
You should probably double-check and ask her first before you actually go ahead with this one, just in case she actually already has a system. But I would probably give my right arm… (wait, no, left arm, I still need to be able to press the shutter) for someone to sweep in, Home Edit style and organise all my gear. It’s all getting a bit out of hand to be honest. I would really love all my equipment to be filed away in labelled drawers in cushy little foam beds, and have my props and backdrops neatly arranged in a rainbow colour of organisation…ah the fantasy!
Finish the yearly photo albums of the kids
You know the ones she started doing when she had her first baby? The oldest kid has at least two years of their life fully documented in a beautiful photo book but then life happened and possibly another baby and then she was back to work and she never really got around to doing any more. Now the kids are 7 and 10 and the thought of catching up, finding all the images from the past 7 years, uploading them all, making them into a photo book and having it printed is just all a bit too overwhelming. But trust me, she really really wants someone to do this.
Take over her social media marketing for a couple of months
Have you noticed a trend here yet? Most of the things that women really want for Mother’s Day revolve around having more time, or quality time at least. One of the things that seems to come naturally to Gen Zers but is quite a time-suck for us “old people” is social media marketing. Offer to take over her Instagram and TikTok accounts and help her promote her work for a set amount of time. Watch the likes pile up!
Give her some photos of yourself where you aren’t pulling silly faces (or looking grumpy)
If she’s up for it, you can even let her take the photos. Or even better, have someone else take the photos so she’s got some nice ones of herself with you guys for a change. After about the age of 3, children of photographers seem to either develop a phobia of photographs or the ability to pull a ridiculous posed expression on demand. It’s nearly impossible to get a nice photo of my 5 year old without him pulling a weird face when he sees the camera come out, I only dread to think how much worse it will get when he becomes a teenager!
Bonus:
And if all else fails, a big hug and you know, a Canon R5 wouldn’t be a bad option ?
