My purpose for why I run a family photography business in Dubai

On a cozy morning back in 2021, my then 3-year-old son and I were scrolling through my camera roll - something we often did together. He loved seeing himself as a baby, wrapped in blankets, splashing in the bath, cuddled up with his dad, playing with his sister. He stopped at one point, looked at me and asked:“Where were you then, Mummy?”

And it hit me hard. Image after image, moment after moment…I wasn’t there!

In the day-to-day rush of motherhood, documenting my children's childhood, and managing life, I had accidentally erased myself from my own family’s visual story. The photos showed my children, their dad, grandparents, aunt but barely a single frame included me.

Not because my husband didn’t want to photograph me, but because I didn’t allow myself in photos.

I was too critical of how I looked, the light, that angle, what I was wearing the list goes on. I had every reason to step out of the frame… until that moment, when a tiny voice made me realize how much I’d regret staying invisible.

The Aha Moment That Sparked My Family Photography Journey in Dubai

Sitting there with my son, I realized something that changed everything:

One day, my children will not have me. They will want to look back at these photos and I need to be part of their memories. Not perfect, not posed, not polished -just present!

That was the moment I asked myself, am I the only one in this situation? Are other mothers being left out of their own visual stories? What if I could make sure other mothers never have to ask “Where was I?” when looking back on their children’s early years?

This was the beginning of my purpose as a family photographer in Dubai.

Not just to take photos, but to capture the story in a time capsule and to make sure every character in that story is present ...especially Mum !