Photo Frenzy?

I've recently heard mothers talk about how many thousands of photos they're taking of their children, adding that they spend time each week sorting through the new ones, choosing the best ones and downloading them to their computerized photo albums--perhaps cropping and resizing them as well, and regularly emailing them to loved ones. I've done some of that, but my efforts have been feeble in this regard. Yes, I've also bought a cheap wallet-sized video camera, and have used it, but with nothing like the fervor and dedication that other mothers have expressed. It's not that I'm disinterested--far from it; but it's just taking low priority right now. And I'm starting to feel bad about that.

I've thought about hiring a professional photographer. But a recent peek at some of the local baby photographers' portfolios left me hugely discouraged. Most of them charge a fortune for cutesy photos that look so posed, all the personality is sapped right out of the images. Just get a baby to smile a little, or even, just look in the general direction of the camera, and heaps of personality will be expressed; that's one of the marvelous things about babies.

These mountains of photographs and videos everyone seems to be taking these days--are we becoming more sensitive to the visual image because of it? The evidence on YouTube is not all that positive in this regard. And what about our aural sensitivity? I've always wondered what our increasing obsession with the visual has done to our ability to listen, to really listen to the people and things in our immediate environment.

Having said this--I still need to take more photos of my son. But I should also purchase a quality tape recorder and sit down with him in front of it, encouraging him to express himself in his inimitable, non-verbal way.