Every year I take thousands of pictures. That’s no exaggeration. One of my traditions at the start of a new year is to clean out some of the images I don’t need and free up some space on my computer.

Inevitably it turns into a wonderful stroll down memory lane and it never fails I find some great keepers that I totally forgot about. Even some I never shared with anyone.

These are 18 never before shared photos from 2018 that are making the cut as keepers. A few may even be going up on the wall!

And as always, if you’re wanting to learn how to take better pictures of your kids this year, check out my photography course Child’s Play: Simple Tips for Photographing Children.

1. Strawberry Farm

In the spring I took the kids to the strawberry farm which proved to be a beautiful spot for pictures. I used the Canon EF 24-105mm F/4L lens so I could get wide pictures of the long rows and zoom all the way in for portraits.

2. Puppy Love

I was intentional about taking more pictures of Snoop last year, though I didn’t share many. For this one I used the Canon EF 24-105mm F/4L lens zoomed all the way in to 105mm to create a more portrait look with a blurred background.

3. Big T Under the Trees

For this picture I used the Canon EF 24-105mm F/4L lens zoomed all the way out so I could stand right under him and capture this creative angle with the bright blue sky above him. I had planned to share this photo but never got around to it.

4. Mommy and Me and Baby to Be

This photo was an outtake from a photoshoot I never found up sharing. But it’s one of my favorite photos from my pregnancy. I got much bigger, but the joy Lil’ J had through the whole process made my third pregnancy extra special. I used the vari-angle screen on my Canon DSLR to position us in this shot, then connected to my camera using wifi and the Canon Camera Connect app to remotely take this shot.

5. Dashing Duck Face

Big T got some fancy new clothes and naturally he wanted to try them on and I wanted to photograph him. We stepped into our backyard and I snapped this picture really quick while he attempted to give me a kissy face. I used my Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 lens for this shot. Which continues to be one of my favorite lenses for portraits.

6. Showoffs

There’s nothing like showing off your new baby sister to all your friends. As the kids huddled around the stroller I snapped this wide angle shot from above. I used my Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 lens to snap this shot from a close distance. Since it was still pretty dark in the morning I cranked the ISO up to 5000.

7. Window Light

I love playing with natural light and shadows. My son likes to play with the blinds. We both got a little bit of what we liked with this picture. I used the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens at 70mm at f-2.8. It was an overcast day so the ISO was still at 5000. I used a pretty high shutterspeed of 1.800 because my son is a quick one.

8. Sister Hangout

About a month after Lee Lee was born Lil’ J was begging to tote her around everywhere and always ready to smile and pose with her. Well, she still is.  I used a zoom lens for this shot (24-70mm 2.8/f at 38mm) so I could switch between wide angle photos and zoom in for portraits.

9. Ready, Set, GO!

Big T knew he loved to run but 2018 he discovered a track. Daddy worked with him a lot to try to get the correct stance. I shot this at 24mm to get a nice wider angle of my little runner, the track and the sky above him.

10. Daddy’s Tricks

I didn’t get my husband in enough photos last year, and I want to do better this year. I loved this one I shot from a distance using my EF 24-105mm f/4 lens.

11. Self-Portrait

I used the vari-angle screen on my Canon EOS 6D Mark ii and wifi remote to snap this self-portrait. I shared several self-portraits last year but none like this.

12. Smooches

Usually these expressions are reversed but I’m glad I have evidence of this. Our house was a mess. We had boxes and things everywhere and taking picture in our cramped space was difficult. I blurred out the background of this shot by using my EF 50mm f/1.4 lens with the aperture stopped all the way down to f/1.4. This wound up being one of my favorite photos of the year.  

13. Sisters in Shadows

Lee Lee fell asleep in Lil’ J’s arms. The moment was so sweet and I didn’t want to miss capturing it. My closet camera wasn’t one of my DSLRs but my mirrorless EOS M6 with the kit 15-45mm lens. It didn’t disappoint and did this moment justice. No flash was needed. I was just using available light from the nearby window. I love how their hair disappears into the shadows.  

14. Brotherly Love

Big brother also got in on a lot of sister love this last year. Any time I set her down and she starts to fus, he’s the first one to run over and try to make her happy. I used the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 lens to snap this picture.

15. Friends

Nothing like fall evenings with friends. I snapped this picture of the group at 24mm so I could stand close and get the whole group in the shot.

16. Delicious Baby Rolls

Every week I take a photo of Lee Lee for the ‘gram. But these photoshoots come wind up with A LOT of outtakes and behind-the-scenes chub. Here’s a look at some of that. I used my EF 50mm f/1.4 lens for this shot (as I do every week). I use my vari-angle screen to get as high as I can directly over her.

17. Daddy Daughter

Another elusive daddy shot. This one I snuck while he was watching football. I used my EF 50mm f/1.4 lens for this picture as well but at f/2 so get both of their faces in focus.

18. First Child Last Child

This was another one of those moments where my small mirrorless camera was within reach and I used it to capture a delicate moment. When I saw Snoop had rolled over for some baby snuggled I quickly snapped this with my Canon EOS M50, which also has a vari-angle screen so I could take this picture from a bird’s-eye view. It’s not the most flattering photo of Snoop. Maybe not as cute as napping puppies and babies on a bed, but I think this is as close as we are gonna get.

But then again, who knows what 2019 will bring.

Do you declutter your photos at the start of the new year? What lenses and cameras do you find you use the most?

Can’t decide which camera you want? For tips on choosing which camera is best for your needs check out this post.

And for help deciding what lens to get next, read this post.

Tags: Canon, lens, photography