It happens often. I get home from an event or trip and notice something about the photographs. There are either no or very few photographs with me in them. I love to take photographs but after 300 photographs and none of me, I know something is wrong. I need to get myself in the photographs too. Here are some suggestions for getting yourself in more photographs.

Ask. When a special moment arrives for you, remember your camera and ask someone to take a photograph. When my dog Merlin was sick, I asked my husband to take a photograph of us together. No else would have thought of taking that photograph but since I asked my husband to take it I now have that moment in time.

Let Someone Else Take Photographs. When someone else volunteers to take photographs, don't hesitate. When our family went to the archery range, I took photographs of everyone but myself. My daughter asked to take a photograph. I let her, so now I have a photograph to show that I was there too.

Get Photographs from Others. When you are with someone else who takes photographs, take advantage of it. Let them take your photograph and get copies of those photographs later. When my sister-in-law visits, she often takes photographs with me in them. I make sure I upload her photographs so I can have some with myself in them.

Take Advantage of Strangers. When you are unable to have someone else you know take a photograph, then persuade a stranger to take a photograph. When my husband and I were on our 20^th anniversary in Europe we had no one we knew who could take our photograph. On the day of our anniversary we really wanted a photograph so we got a stranger to take our photograph.

Assign an Alternate Photographer for Events. At events and celebrations that involve you, assign someone else to take photographs. For my birthday, I made a point to hand the camera over to my husband to take photographs of the day.

Take Self-Portraits. Occasionally or on a more routine basis (even monthly), take a portrait of yourself. For tips on how to take self-portraits see Jessica Porter's article, Photo Challenge: Self-Portraits.

Relax. Get over the self-conscious feeling that you are going to look bad in the photograph. Instead, concentrate on how photographs are needed of you for your friends and family.

With all these choices, there are many ways to get yourself in the photographs. Now, make a commitment and get it done.