A change in blog focus – no more photos
I thought this point would happen this time last year, but no. It’s finally happened and it means all the forward planning I’ve done for the first time for the blog needs reassessing. N has told me he doesn’t want photos of himself on the blog or social media. This means a big change in blog focus.
Well, I think it will. I’m still thinking about how it’s going to work without me totally changing what I write about. I set up the blog to journal what we got up to. The ins and outs of parenting when I thought I’d have no idea what I was doing. And more latterly, sharing our adventures and experiences, hopefully providing my readers with options and recommendations for places to visit and to see how another parent deals with parenting trials as they come up.
I don’t want to totally change the blog. I love writing it and I already have another passion I write about on my dance blog. I’m not into interiors, I’m not creative enough to do a crafting blog and don’t have the inclination to do good food photography. I don’t travel enough, and don’t want to write book reviews. So what am I going to do?
The plan at the moment is not to change the topics I write about. I’m still going to be trying to keep up sharing what we’ve been up to, and how things change with boys as they move through school and gradually into tweendom. Sharing our days out. But the one thing that will be changing is the photography.
At the moment N has said no photos. IIt seems to stem from a couple of things. Firstly I posted a photo of him on my personal facebook (probably the first in about a year) that a school friend saw – the mum is a friend of mine – a while back and he asked me to take it down. And then over Christmas, he said his cousins were looking at the blog. It seems he doesn’t want people he knows seeing it and talking about him.
I’m really sad about it because I love taking photos of him and am really proud of some of them. It shows how far my photography has come in the last few years.
For some posts it’s going to be very hard – for days out in particular. I may use symbols to represent N, and of course he may change his mind in future. At the moment, I’m not sure he’ll even allow photos from the back, or just hands or feet shots. So I’ll be trying to work with what he will allow.
It’s going to be a new look to the blog and something I’m going to have to work out so bear with me. I’ll probably share how it’s worked from a blogging perspective and what I’ve learnt in future. I’m sure lots of other bloggers have gone through this as their children have grown up.
But for now, it’s change in mindset, change in photos, and hopefully making N happier.
Why not take a look at these similar posts.
Like everyone else has said I’m sure you’ll figure out a way around it. At the moment Toby and Gabe love looking at pictures of themselves on my computer, but they’re only little and they don’t understand any of it – who knows what they’ll think in another few years! #ShareTheBlogLove
Yes, N used to love looking at photos too. He still does (and hypocritically likes looking at other people’s blog photos!). I’m really missing the linkies I’ve been joining in for years though – Living Arrows and Country Kids. And even though I never shared loads of him on IG, I’m feeling really uninspired by my IG feed now as well. I need spring to come so there’s more flowers to photograph
It will be a change for sure but I am sure you wll get into the swing of the new way soon and you never know maybe he will change his mind back and you;; still have photos for memories #SharingTheBlogLove
you can always still take photos just for you to see and keep and not share with the world at least then you will still have the memories.
Yes I am not much good at much else and my food photography is crap. I don’t read books or travel much either.
My crafting is about average and I am not hugely good at tutorials though going to have a try
I found that the few small tutorials I’ve done do quite well – good on pinterest and SEO
I have started to photograph the project I am currently doing. Will probably blog the item and the thinking behind making what I am in the way I am
It sounds like he is pretty set on his decision and I feel your pain, it’s hard when we just want to document their life and keep a record. But of course we have to respect our children’s choices. I hope that you find a solution that N is happy with and gives you content. Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
It sounds like he feels really strongly about it at the moment, so I think you’re definitely right to respect his wishes. Is it no photos for the blog and social media though, or no photos full stop? That would make me really sad not to be able to capture everything. It might be just a short phase – I remember going through something similar myself when I was little. In fact I remember going through my Mum’s photo album and removing one I particularly hated, and then taking the time to move every following photo up by one so that noone noticed. But I got better after a bit and was happier about it all. Could you lean on the fact that he likes taking his own photos to engage him more in what you want to do? I hope you manage to find a way around it that works for you both. Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
I always hated having my photo taken as a child, but with my dad dying when I was 3 and my mum a few years ago, it’s so important to me to have photos to look back on. Maybe it’s a boy thing – my brother isn’t that worried, and the OH hates having his taken. But I’d hate for N years later to realise he had no photos.
Getting him to take photos maybe the way forward. A child’s view of it.
I don’t post photos of my 6 yr old on my blog, it is possible to get a bit creative without showing their faces. Good luck with your new focus! #SharingtheBlogLove
Unfortunately, he’s said no photos at all. No hands, feet, even a distance shot from the back he’s said no to and you can’t even tell it’s him
I think they all reach that point when they start to become self-conscious. All of my older ones have had periods they didn’t want to be featured and 3 of them have come full circle and don’t mind any more – it’s got to be a natural progression I think, and something that all bloggers who carry on for more than 4 or 5 years will have to deal with. Luckily for me I haven’t had to delete any old photos – yet! *Touch wood* now I’ve said that! 😀
I guess it’s better for him to say no now rather than when he’s older so there’s a good gap between now and then secondary school when I guess he’ll get a bit more embarrassed.by it. Or he might think it’s cool if he wants a blog later I suppose
This is a tricky one, isn’t it. My son has occasionally started to say he doesn’t want me to take pictures of him. I tend now to focus on scenery and shots of interesting detail in my travel and days out posts – they might be not as cute, but it still works, I think. x
That’s what I’m hoping too. N doesn’t mind me taking photos of him if he has a say in it (hence a lot of ‘dabbing’ and thumbs up shots’) but I’m definitely going to have to work out better landscape shots without him in them.
Really good that you’re respecting his wishes not to be photographed & there will definitely be ways around it, which I’m sure you’ll discover. My son is only two but I decided not to post pictures of his face on my blog over the last year for various reasons. I’ve also set my Instagram to private so I can control who can see the photos I do share of his face. x
He’s even refusing shots from behind and in the distance, or hands/feet shots at the moment. Let’s just say, my latest days out post just didn’t feel right having to leave out all the lovely shots I took with him in it. And I’ve got another post I was going to write, and don’t think I’ll be able to because there’s hardly any I took without him in. But if he’s happy, that’s what matters
I’ll have to take a lot of this into consideration as my daughter gets older, I post pictures all the time of her at the moment, but I may have to change that approach as she’s older. She’s only 8 months at the moment
I think it’s probably easier if you start out early on without photos of them. Now it’s very hard to make the change, especially as so far he’s not allowing any, even distance from behind shots.
I’m sure you’ll work out a way. Fair play to N for knowing his own mind! I share lots of pics of my kids on my personal FB and they’ve never complained about that, although we do have an agreement that I won’t tag my eldest in his pics. He might not mind my friends seeing them, but doesn’t necessarily want his friends seeing them! My whole reason for not including my kids’ photos or names on my blog was to protect them from kids they know coming across it. What to me is a nice story of an amazing achievement could easily be a reason for a teenager from school to take the p*ss out of them.
He’s certainly taken after me in knowing his mind and being stubborn. That makes sense about teens and tagging. Can totally understand that. I think mostly FB isn’t too bad if you’ve got a selective friends list and it’s all locked down privacy wise. And yes as you say removes a lot of the embarrassment factor.
I am sure you will work your way around the photo’s….You have to do what is right for your boy. You never know when he’s in the middle of a day out he might change his mind. Good luck. x
It’s not looking likely at the moment. He won’t even allow distance shots from behind. We’ll see. It’s more likely he’ll want me to put his photos up that he’s taken