As a photography studio in an increasingly busy, extremely digital world, we see more and more people substituting professional family portraits for iPhone pictures from the school dance, piano recital, football game, or Christmas dinner. These pictures have a lot of value and memories attached to them, but they simply cannot replace the value of professional family portraiture. While yes, this is a service we offer, and we sure hope you book with us, we want you to understand where we’re coming from by writing this. We value memories, we value quality time, and we value confidence, and we think that when it comes to family portraits, there’s simply no replacement. We’ve noticed a trend in swapping a family portrait experience and professionally printed wall portraits for Facebook albums and Instagram snapshots. Well, we say to that: why not both?!
We’ve come up with a list of why we think family portraits are important. We hope you give it a glance and can see that we’re doing more than just trying to sell you something. We are trying to create a healthy family experience for you!
- Of course, the first reason why we think you should make time for family pictures is that you really only see the value of them if they get destroyed, or if there is a death in the family. We’ve heard countless stories of families who look through the photos they do have and wish they had more memories in pictures. The owner of Arising Images, Prem, knows this feeling first hand. He lost his mother when he was just a child and now realizes that he has very few pictures with her. When you realize that photos are all you have left of a person or time period, you see the value of family portraits so much clearer. Your children will only be small for a short time. Your parents will not be here forever. Life is short. Make the memories now.
- Family portraits boost your children’s self-esteem! It’s actually been proven by psychologists that it’s incredibly healthy for your children to physically see your family as a unit, and to see themselves represented as a valued member of that unit. By having family portraits hanging on your walls at home, your children grow up knowing that they belong and they are loved. You may be thinking, “my child is the background of my phone, does that have the same effect?” While I’m sure that does help, the psychologists who conducted this study seem to think that the sensory and accessible act of touching and seeing a portrait on their wall makes it a habitual sight, reinforcing these esteem-boosting ideas.
- Family portraits are fun! We have so many clients tell us how much they enjoyed the photo session experience as a bonding time for their family. Sometimes all it takes is a photographer asking you to hug or snuggle your child, or to smile at your spouse and laugh. We don’t always make enough time for fun family experiences, and this definitely can be one.
- Wall art makes your house a home. And while mass-marketed art pieces from Michael’s and Art Van have their place in decor, there are no better subjects for over your fireplace or in the master bedroom than your family. There is no better feeling than hanging up a gorgeous picture of the people you love and value most in this world.
- Family portraits become family heirlooms. When you choose the right photographer, the products they print for you will last for generations if handled with care. These become pieces that parents pass down to their children, and so on. We create beautiful, modern heirloom-quality artwork that you’ll have the pleasure of giving to your children one day.
We know that life gets busy, and we know it can be hard to get the whole family together sometimes, but family pictures are truly and irreplaceable event. We hope you consider family portraits this year!
