Every fall and winter, my social media feed fills with familiar scenes — families in pumpkin patches, kids bundled up picking out Christmas trees, couples posing in front of twinkling lights. And every year, I see photographers talking about putting their take on these traditions.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think traditions are healthy. They give us rhythm and stability — something to look forward to. They help us reconnect with what really matters: the people we love and the memories we make together.
But I’ve started to wonder if sometimes we blur the line between living a tradition and performing one.
With the pressure to post, share, and show our lives online, it’s easy for even meaningful moments to turn into a kind of performance. Instead of being fully present — smelling the pine, laughing at the cold, helping the kids pick the “perfect” pumpkin — we’re thinking about composition, lighting, and what will look good on Instagram.
As photographers, it’s natural for us to see the world through our creative lens. But I think it’s worth asking ourselves:
“Am I doing this because it brings me joy, or do I feel like I should?”
When our traditions become more about keeping up than connecting, we miss the heart of them. Maybe the best photos this holiday season aren’t the ones we plan, but the ones that happen when we’re too busy living to notice.
