Family Portraits: Why are they important?

When was the last time you had a family portrait taken? No, I'm not talking about a group photo at a family BBQ. I'm talking about a professional portrait. Maybe you do a family photoshoot every year? Maybe you've only done it once? Maybe you've never had one? Whether you are a seasoned professional in finding perfectly matching outfits for your family or you think you could never get your kids to sit still for a portrait; this post is for you! 

Let me start by telling you that although I am a photographer and I may be a little biased in this, I didn't grow up in a family that took family portraits. We didn't send out holiday cards every year and the photos on our walls were from events or our annual summer vacation. We have ONE professional photo and it was taken 20+ years ago. So I'm speaking to you as someone who didn't have this tradition, but who plans on having family portraits taken every year. In fact, if it wasn't for the pandemic we wouldn't have known  how bare our walls were and we just started taking family portraits ourselves. And that's because now I know exactly how important it is. 

So before you decide if family portraits are for you, let me give you three reasons why. Here's the first to this three series of messages: 

REASON ONE: Document Changes

Your children are changing fast. They can change so much in just a few months. Documenting your family every year or even every few years can help show just how much you all are changing. Whether you're adding new family members, losing teeth, getting braces and so much more, this can be captured in a beautiful professional way. 

Take this beautiful family for example. These photos are five years apart. The youngest daughter is a growing tween and dad can not put her over his shoulders anymore. I'm so glad that this family decided to do photos again because soon their daughters will be leaving for college. Don't wait around for the right time, do it to document the current changes in your life.