We all forget about the importance of taking family portraits. There are so many excuses that get in our way: soccer practice, work, exercise, shopping, me-time. the list goes on. With so many excuses to not get it done we being to lose focus on why it’s important in the first place.
Thought parents work hard to make sure their children are safe and protected, accidents happen. None of us want to think about it. None of us want to imagine it. It could be you, your spouse, your child. It doesn’t matter. The point is that every moment you get together is precious, and every chance you have to get that family portrait could be your last.
When I was younger, my family had large holiday celebrations. Grandma would pull all of the grand-kids together for a picture. Though it was nice to get all the grand-kids in one photo, we never bothered attempting to get the entire family. Since then my grandfather and an uncle have passed away. Those pictures have no one but the little kids in them. Other pictures of them survive, but it is the ones the holidays that have the strongest memory with me.
It’s important to find a great family portrait studio. Going out and getting the photos taken doesn’t take more than an hour out of our busy schedules, and that hour of time is priceless when the final product is in our hands.
Why do we do it? High school senior portraits and baby pictures are never forgotten. Those are milestone moments in our lives (and the lives of our children). For the first few years of their lives, we have pictures of our children taken every year so that we can capture the innocence of their youth while it still survives. Yet we forget that we are always changing, even once we grow older. There is no particularly compelling reason for us to want to capture the moment with our family each year. It seems everyday, or ordinary. So we excuse it. There’s always tomorrow, right?
But what if there isn’t? Do you want to take a chance with today? Fifty years ago children mostly stayed in the same town in which they were raised. When a family wanted to see each other, they simply went across town. That could explain why fifty years ago portraits were not as common-place as they are now. Today, instead of moving across town, children are often moving across the country. That means families are less likely to see each other often, and family portraits are even more precious.
Portraits also tell a story. When I look back on those holiday pictures with my sister and cousins I don’t just see a bunch of kids sitting together in their Sunday best. I see memories, pieces of time as they were then. The photos are a story of that particular year.
The great thing about family portraits is that they are useful for more than just a frame on the wall. There are a number of different crafts that involve using photos, and each one creates a unique gift idea. These crafts also help bring the family together, creating even more memories.
Don’t waste another day. Schedue an appointment, bring the family together, and capture the most precious moments every day.