I know I’ve written on this subject before, but it’s a conversation I have often with friends. “It’s just so hard getting everyone together.” I bet if it was a wedding or a funeral, everyone would figure it out.
Family photos and individual portraits are so so important to our lives. I know I’m uber passionate about photographs – I can’t help it! When I find an old photo I haven’t seen before of one of my ancestors, I feel like they are reaching out to me from beyond to say hi and connect. I get very excited and curious.
How special it would be to have a generation photo for future generations to know who we are and where they came from. I treasure this photo. This is my dad, grandfather, great grandmother, and great-great grandmother. These are my people. I feel a connection just through this photograph and the stories my dad would tell. This is where I came from.
There is such a huge focus these days on our DNA – our heritage. When I get started, I spend hours searching on Ancestry.com for hints of my ancestors’ lives. Why make your descendants search and wonder who you were and where you were from . . . what you were like. (#Existinphotos) Have portraits done and print them – regularly. Photographs are representations of your life – freezing life at that moment. It is our history that we can leave behind for future generations – not selfies that are just going to die with our phone or computer (#printyourphotos).
About a month ago I was talking to a friend and I said I wanted to do a photo shoot of her and her daughters for marketing materials. We set a date. Then a week before the session, when discussing what to wear, she casually threw out there the idea of wearing authentic Khmer outfits. Needless to say, I was like, “Oh heck yeah!” THEN, completely on a whim, her mom to her, “Well I want to do it too!” Then BAM – I had a gorgeous group of women (and a baby) – three generations in authentic clothing from their country of origin. My friend’s extended family wanted to do a shoot after they saw the images – my friend is so happy they did this.
Friends, this is so so so important. Don’t use the excuse that you have a hard time getting people together. Pick a date a few months out, give me a call and just schedule it. Another famous excuse is, “Well I want to lose weight first,” . . . really? If you’re anything like me, that could be when you’re dead. Your family loves you and wants you in their photos – don’t “weight” to be photographed. It is my job to make you look the way everyone else really sees you – beautiful. If you want to lose weight – great – take the photos and then schedule a special “look at me now” session when you lose the weight – problem solved.
Life is too short to not honor yourself and your life with beautiful photos of you and your family.
Don’t wait to be photographed. If not now – then when?
Contact me now for a consultation – we will create something special for you.