100 Photos Every Mom Needs Before Her 40th Birthday

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Moms need to get in the photo, too! Use this photo prompt list to make sure that you have all the mom photography to document your role in the family.

A photo collage shows a mom through the years.

I sat down at my computer to compose a recap of my 40 Before 40 bucket list progress.

I wanted to make a slideshow of the pictures I have of me finishing certain tasks mixed with fun family photos from the last few years. I pulled up my photo library and I started digging.

And digging.
And then digging some more.
Digging realllll deep.
Needle in a haystack deep.

It suddenly became a very Eye Opening Exercise to see just how few photos that *I* appear in within our albums.

Why Aren't Moms in Many Photos?

I think the reason it is a challenge for many moms, including myself, is that time just flies by so darn quickly.

We get so bogged down in the day to day challenges of keeping a family running that we don't realize exactly how long it's been since we've been in a picture.

Then when big photo-worthy events happen, we're the ones so busy trying to document everything else it's hard to remember to get in the picture ourselves, too.

So after 2 days of wading through the 40,000+ images in my photo library (I'm not kidding on that number!) I found about 40 photos I loved enough to pull into a birthday video for myself.

I actually count myself really lucky to have those 40 because they are perfect to me and represent exactly the highlights of my girls' childhoods that I want to remember.

Birthday Video for Mom

Once I had those 40 precious photos, I wanted to do something for myself with them.

I've made birthday videos for each of my girls, it took just a few minutes to pop my photos into Animoto and do a birthday video for myself.

Important Photos to Capture of Mom

Let's be honest, as the main family photographer you probably feel like you have to beg to get your picture taken.

Print this photo prompt list off and share it with your family.

Many of these photos you can take yourself, but they can help keep a look-out for the ones you need a little help capturing.

If they know how important it is to you, it will be easier for everyone to get in on the job of making sure you are in the photos.

Does the list need to be finished before you are 40? Is it worthless to you if you're already older than that? NO on both counts.

I just know that without a deadline, I'd never accomplish anything. If you set yourself a mental marker of when to get these photos, you won't wake up at 53 and realize you don't have any of them.

And if the list feels daunting, know that even if you walked away with half of the images on the list you're probably doing twice as well as you would have otherwise at capturing your presence within the family.

Time is a flyin', friends. Get those cameras snapping!

100 Photos to Capture of Mom

  1. You and your beloved, dressed up fancy
  2. You and your beloved, scrubby and real around the house
  3. You and your best friend
  4. Sideways shot of your gorgeous baby belly
  5. Holding your newborn in the hospital
  6. Asleep with a newborn in your arms
  7. Feeding your baby
  8. Bathing your baby
  9. Reading to your kids
  10. Outdoor adventure with your kids (zoo, hiking, park)
  11. On vacation
  12. At your place of work
  13. In the kitchen
  14. Behind the wheel of your car
  15. With your pet
  16. In your workout gear of choice (running, bike, etc.)
  17. With each of your kids individually
  18. With all your kids together
  19. Full family
  20. You and your parents
  21. You and your siblings
  22. Relaxing around the house on a weekend
  23. In your favorite seat
  24. You and your babies on their first day of school
  25. Dressed up for a Girls' Night Out
  26. Cheering for your favorite team
  27. Laughing
  28. Opening a special present
  29. In the hospital being brave, or not so brave
  30. Consoling your children
  31. Helping with homework
  32. Making something you love (crafting, baking, etc.)
  33. Hugging and kissing your kids
  34. Drinking your favorite beverage
  35. Hosting a party
  36. Riding an amusement park ride
  37. With the kids in costumes you made (or acquired!)
  38. At the Thanksgiving table you prepared
  39. With a mountain of wrapping paper and holiday prep stuff
  40. In jammies on Christmas morning
  41. Snuggled on the couch under blankets for a movie
  42. At a concert
  43. At your favorite spot in your city
  44. At lunch with friends
  45. Dancing at a wedding
  46. Playing with your kids
  47. Wearing a costume for Halloween
  48. Blowing out birthday candles on your ckae
  49. In your garden
  50. Dressed for date night
  51. Surrounded by or buried under mountains of laundry
  52. At your house of worship
  53. Getting your hands dirty
  54. With your fitness buddies (running partners, yoga class, etc.)
  55. Jumping for joy
  56. On the sporting sidelines at your kids' games
  57. Behind the scenes at your kids' dance recital
  58. With the team of volunteers you work with at school
  59. Eating a Muffins with Mom treat at preschool
  60. Close-up of your hand holding your child's
  61. Selfie of you driving your kids in the car (while parked!)
  62. Wearing your "mom uniform" on an average day
  63. Playing an instrument
  64. Making a silly face
  65. Trying something new
  66. Dancing in the living room with your kids
  67. All your kids kissing or hugging you at the same time
  68. The moment your kid is tall enough to reach your shoulder (or is taller than you!)
  69. Eating ice cream cones with the kids
  70. Getting ready to spray silly string on your kids on the last day of school
  71. Snuggling a sick kid
  72. Selfie of you home alone
  73. Picking apples at the orchard
  74. Carving pumpkins with the kids
  75. Drinking your morning coffee
  76. Baking with the kids
  77. Reading a book of your own
  78. Wearing a new dress "just because"
  79. Eating your favorite food
  80. Visiting someplace new
  81. Holding a shopping conquest
  82. On the front porch of every place you live
  83. Right after getting a haircut or style
  84. Tucking your kids into bed
  85. With the grocery haul before it's all been unpacked
  86. Having a picnic in the summer
  87. Wearing your favorite cozy weather gear (hat, coat, scarf, etc.)
  88. Throwing a snowball or building a snowman
  89. Completing a challenge
  90. With your playgroup friends
  91. A fabulous profile picture
  92. Holding your famous food dish
  93. Raising a glass to toast
  94. At your favorite restaurant
  95. Decorating for a celebration
  96. Playing a game with your competitive face on
  97. A selfie before you do something that scares you
  98. Another selfie after you did it
  99. Wearing a tiara (or other ridiculously fun accessory)
  100. A photo that makes you feel beautiful when you see it

More Family Photography Challenges

100 photos every mom needs before her 40th birthday

One Comment

  1. I love this list so much! What a great reminder that we need to be IN our photos not just behind the camera all the time. When my kids look back on all the photos we've taken, I want to be in them!

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