the importance of family portraits

sure, these days with a camera in your pocket, it’s simple to grab photos of your kids with just your phone. It’s quick, easy, and free, and with automatic edits thanks to iphone and android technology, everyone is now a photographer, right? well, not quite. let me explain why I still think it’s important to invest in professional portraits for your family.

In this day and age, more photos of us and our children exist than ever before. If you look at your parents’ generation or even your grandparents’ generation, the number of photos taken of them and their families might be just a handful. these photos today are family heirlooms, offering a small glimpse into who our ancestors were and what they looked like. when I grew up in the 90s, many families would go to sears or macy’s to have budget photos taken maybe a few times throughout their kids’ childhoods, often in a dingy studio in the back of the stores. those photos were printed out and proudly hung on the walls of our houses, as well as given to family members as gifts. remember wallet photos? these photos would often make it into dad’s wallet too, so he could show off his kids to everyone at work.

over time, the quality of family portraits has significantly improved. today, many photographers offer family sessions where they can come to you or meet you in a local park, capturing beautiful portraits that lack the rigidity of those sears portraits from my childhood. for an affordable price, you can hire your own personal photographer for a few hours to capture something customized and totally unique. they can also save you time in your busy schedule, by coming to you or a your local park. below, I have summarized what I believe are six of the most important reasons it is well worth investing in a professional photographer to capture your family portraits.

1. ensure the longevity of the photographs: while smartphones have certainly helped us better document our lives and given us the ability to capture more images of our kids, how often do you print out images from your phone or back up the files to ensure they don’t get lost? the likelihood that these phone images will one day become family heirlooms is pretty slim. How can they be if you can’t even consider them permanent? what if someone hacks your apple id, or you get tired of paying the ever-increasing storage bill each month? maybe you switch phone brands, and although they promise to transfer everything over, some photos still get lost. I believe it’s important to document your family in an elegant way, with everyone in the frame. It’s important to print these out in a book or hang these photographs on your walls. or at least, know that you have a place where you can access the digital files forever. even if you lose the files of your professional portraits, your photographer will always have them backed up and can resend them to you at any time.

2. get everyone together: how many photos do you have on your phone that include all of your family members and aren’t selfies? probably next to none. life is hectic, so taking a bit of time to spend with your family on a photo session is important for that reason alone. family portraits are a great excuse for your whole family to hang out and do something fun together. at a minimum, family sessions ensure you get some photos with all of you together. over time, the value of these photos increases as your children grow up and you grow older. the simple photographs you take today can become family heirlooms tomorrow.

3. kids grow up fast: In the midst of our daily lives, it’s easy to perceive today as just another ordinary day, marked by seemingly commonplace smiles and special moments. we often take these instances for granted, assuming they’ll persist indefinitely. however, deep down, we know they won’t. these moments won’t last forever. upon reflection, it becomes apparent how rapidly our children undergo profound transformations within a brief span of time. this is why you shouldn’t procrastinate—seize these precious moments now. what may seem routine today will evolve into cherished memories over time, gaining immeasurable value with the passage of time. booking a family portrait session today will ensure the longevity of these special moments.

4. we don’t exist forever: It’s not something we like to think about, but tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for any of us. by taking the time to capture and celebrate your family today, you ensure that your legacy will be remembered tomorrow. we are documenting the love that exists right now, and once that shutter closes, that moment is preserved forever. when firefighters are asked what the most common object people take with them when fleeing a burning home, the answer is often a photo album. what is typically hung on the walls at grandparents’ houses? pictures of their entire families, so they can keep everyone close at all times. preserving your legacy for future generations also allows us to connect to our ancestors and to share the resemblance between generations.

5. getting rid of cheesy smiles: even if you set up your iphone on a tripod, set the timer, and all walk out in front of the camera to capture your whole family together, the results will still not compare to a portrait done by a good photographer. this is because the job of the photographer is to make you forget the camera is even there. putting a camera in front of someone is unnatural and will make most people tense up or feel awkward. these feelings translate into the photographs. “3…2…1… Say cheese!” doesn’t result in a natural expression; it just brings out a canned smile. the value of professional photography lies in the ability of the photographer to capture your family in their natural element, resulting in genuine smiles and expressions. this can transform a typical family photo, where you might not like the way you look, into a beautiful family portrait that you are proud to hang on your walls. during a family session, a good photographer will also capture candid moments of your family interacting with each other—something that isn’t possible when taking phone photos on a tripod.

6. better represent your family for the holidays: I recommend having family portraits done once a year. so much can change in a year, and even if it doesn’t feel like it, that’s because you see your family every day. remember the comments your distant relatives make during the holidays? “oh, the kids have gotten so big!” “I remember when susie was this tall.” “what happened to your kids? they’re adults now!” a great time to schedule family sessions is in the fall, right before the holiday season. It’s the perfect way to remember to get your family portraits done, as well as to level up your holiday cards for the year. you can also use these photos as gifts for family members. what grandparent doesn’t love receiving a family calendar each year? having an updated photo for your family holiday card may even limit the annoying comments from your uncle jimmy, because he just received a preview of how much the kids have grown in the mail a few weeks prior. but I wouldn’t hold your breath on this one. 

If you set aside time each year to capture professional portraits of your family, you’ll embark on a captivating journey chronicling your family’s growth and transformation over the years. this collection can be transformed into an enduring photo narrative that will be cherished by generations to come. over time, you can build a collection of photos and turn them into a timeless photo book, resulting in a family heirloom you can take great pride in and pass down to future generations.