Hello hello howdy aloha!!!! I am wayyyy excited to be writing my first blog post and hosting only my second challenge. (you couldn’t tell could you?!!!)

You know how everyone talks about a picture being worth a thousand words. I couldn’t agree more but sometimes just sometimes pictures also need a bit of help – with words. Especially when documenting those little firecrackers otherwise known as children! I’m fortunate to have two of the species and I can’t be more thankful or grateful for having given this opportunity to grow up (once again!) with them. Sometimes I feel like an outsider observing and documenting their changes, their ups and downs and their extra special every-day-not-one-like-any-other one!!!!

What I’m trying to say is that if I could capture all the nitty gritties and quirks of my ever-restless and unpredictable rug rats, I would consider myself  a photographer par excellence! Sadly that doesn’t always happen. Most of the times I’m laughing too hard, clutching my stomach to reach for my iphone or Nikon D5100! What I can do is grab my notebook and write down the precious moment to be preserved for posterity. If I can find pics from the similar time period I will most likely include them or I’ll just go on with the story solo.

You will have come across many different ways of documenting the “real” story. It can be in form of interviews or lists or just a conversation captured. I personally like to make these pages with an eye-catching tile so it is quite evident what they are about – what happened, what was said and the aftermath lol!!!

Here are a few of examples to bring the concept alive for you:

1. I used this for the recently hosted NSD journaling challenge. The pictures here tell a contradicting story to the “real” moments. So it was quite important that I recorded those details for posterity with a pinch of humour of course!

 

2. Here’s one where just two lines of conversation tell you the entire story – the dynamics of it and brings the scene alive for you. These photos are from the same day but not exactly when the conversation happened.

 

 

3. Here’s another style I like – capturing a sort of theme around my daughter’s dare-devil jumps.

 

 

4. And here’s my final example. I didn’t have photos for this but that didn’t stop me from documenting the very cute and important aspect of the two sisters’ talk. It is much more fun this way I think. Leaves you to do the imagining bit.

 

 

So that’s it. There is no one mantra for story telling, it should be what appeals to you, what brings it alive for you. Hopefully, this gives you a bit of inspiration to scrap about things that don’t always have photos or the right corresponding photos or any photos at all!!!

I am also hosting a challenge on this theme.Come join me in playing here;use some of the tips from above or share one of  your own.

Happy story telling – the “real” way.

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About the author: Shivani Sohal is a donner of many alter-egos. A finance professional by day in busy London, she morphs into a seemingly normal mum of two in the evenings and weekends. She is constantly found with her fingers in too many pies and juggling the metaphorical balls. That is living on the edge for her; aided by the two ankle biters and a darling hubby who define the warm and mushy for her. She is ferociuosly dedicated to memory keeping – almost immune to any nay-sayers (or equally disruptive crying children or annoying house fires!!!);keeping her head down and forging ahead at all times.