Someone asked me recently why I care about photographing families and children. I could have given a few different reasons:
- I love meeting new people.
- I love the instant gratification of seeing images right away.
- I thrive on the families’ reactions when they see their images.
But, really, what drives me to push forward with this business, is that I believe we need to preserve memories.
1 reason family portraits are important is because it is your family history.
.jpg "Four siblings by Haverford Duck Pond")
I’m guilty of taking my family for granted. But one day, those people won’t be here. That day could even be as soon as tomorrow. We can’t predict anything.
I care about photographing people because I want to preserve their memory to be carried on.
I do it for my own family. Sometimes, actually most times, I see events through my camera because I want to preserve it. It’s almost an obsession. I want to be able to see it again when I’m old and my children have grown. I want my kids to be able to see themselves when they were young. I want their children to see them when they were young. And if, something that’s even hard to type, ever tragically happened and they were no longer here, I want them to live on in their portraits. I want to remember them.
Leave a legacy through family portraits.
I have images of my grandparents when they were courting. It’s wild to see my heritage. My kids get a kick out of old images of me and my husband. Hell, I get a kick out of those images. The 70s clothing was atrocious! We came across videos I had taken of my girls when they were toddlers. The girls could NOT stop watching them. I was mesmerized by little things like how much my youngest was talking at such an early age, and how much my older one tried to act like the baby. Everything was so much clearer!
So what should you do? Take more photos. Take video. And most importantly, don’t leave the images on the computer. Put them in an album or have them printed in a book. Or, put them in frames!
Of course, you could also hire a professional photographer, like myself. You’ll have professional family portraits for your walls and your story will be preserved in an album you can pass down.
If you are considering a professional photographer, I would love to talk to you about your family and preserving your memories. To contact me about booking a session, click the Contact link above or fill out the contact form. I hope to hear from you!