It’s 7:30pm on a Friday night and my little girl has just gone down to sleep for the evening.
After a day of drawing, building block towers, dolls, fruit cups, playdoh, endless questions, secret clubhouse activities, stickers, cheerios, tantrums, hugs, and story books, I’ve collapsed into a blob on our couch for the evening, I’m exhausted just reading over the laundry list of stuff we accomplished today, yet still unsure of what we did to allow this level of exhaustion into my bones.
That’s the funny this about motherhood, how it’s virtually impossible to pinpoint that exact part of this crazy journey that makes us feel like we need a reset button every day.
But when you add it all up, it’s amazing that we’re still standing at the end of each one.
I wrap myself up in my favorite fleece blanket, and instead of zoning out on reality TV and bowls of ice cream, I instead grab a cup of decaf coffee, pop open the laptop that’s become my evening sidekick. Next, I reach for my trusty camera so I can download the day’s images for an evening of creative discovery.
I’ve traded in my pre baby nights of dancing, drinking and partying for quiet nights of photo editing. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
There is something very cathartic, healing, and renewing about taking a photo you’ve snapped and then transforming it into a work of art for your family to cherish for years or generations to come.
When my love of photography was just beginning to take shape, I quickly learned that photos very rarely come out of a camera looking vibrant, bright, and professional looking.
It takes a certain set of skills in the ‘digital darkroom’ to achieve that just right pop of color so that it doesn’t look overdone, that black and white edit with a bit of contrast and matte haze, or that vintage color effect that compliments the surroundings just right.
Learning and growing these skills became my mama reset button after a hard day.
The good news for moms like you and me is that we don’t need to invest in expensive programs like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom to create these photos we’re after.
There are some incredible software programs, completely online based (and FREE!) that will allow us moms to do all the same tricks and techniques the pros use in the digital darkroom.
Today I’m sharing my 5 favorites with you so you too can go spend this evening in your own blissful photo editing mama reset space:
1) PicMonkey 
This is hands down my favorite favorite online editor for moms. (that’s why I listed it first silly!) The sheer number of options for editing, paired with it’s easy of use make PicMonkey a clear winner in my book. Best of all they are not only GREAT for photo editing, but design work as well. You can make collages, add stickers, frames, borders, text, the sky’s the limit! If you’ve ever wondered how I make my super pinnable text overlay pictures (like the image above) PicMonkey is my go to resource. PicMonkey offers many features for free, but does charge a nominal fee if you want access to everything it can do.
2) Pixlr
If you want to dig a bit deeper into the science behind editing photos, and get a bit more precision with your edits, the Pixlr advanced editor is the place to be. It’s similar in look and feel to Photoshop, but with less features to overwhelm its users. Photos can be editing using a layers process which allows you a bit more flexibility and understanding into how certain edits work to transform a photo. Best of all, this program is completely FREE!
3) iPiccy
I like to describe iPiccy as what you’d get if PicMonkey and Pixlr had a baby. It has similar effects and easy editing sliders like PicMonkey, but also has an advanced tab where you can see your photo in layers as in Pixlr. Collage layouts are also an option in iPiccy as well.
4) Picasa
I personally don’t have much experience in using Picasa, but I know many moms who use it, LOVE it, and swear by it. Picasa is part of the Google suite and can not only offer a way to edit photos, but also a place to store and organize your photos as well. Picasa does require a software download to your computer in order to work, but it is completely free as well.
5) PicTapGo
If you’d rather have an easy editing solution for all those photos stored on your iPhone, PicTapGo is by far the most comprehensive editor I’ve found for editing right on my phone. From the app I can email the photos to myself, save back to my phone, or share via Instagram, Facebook, Twtter, etc..I LOVE this app sooo much that I have a full review dedicated to them right HERE.
If you’re wanting to learn how to push your own mama reset button with some self-care photo lessons and editing tips, I’ve got some good news for you! I’m gearing up for my new e-book, Radiate. To celebrate I’ve got the first chapter, ‘Shades of Me’ ready to download for FREE. Click here to download now. xo
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