"That USB looks great on the wall!" Said No One, Ever.
“A photo that isn’t printed is like a script that is never performed, or a musical composition that is never played.”
How Printing Your Portraits Will Change Your Life
We live in a digital world. Daily, we scroll through hundreds, thousands of photos, as if they only exist in a dream. We could take hundreds of photos of ourselves, our families, or an adventure we've been on and then never see those photos again. Our children are the most photographed generation, yet they have the fewest physical prints or artwork compared to prior generations. Our children feel lost in this digital world and don't know where to turn to find themselves. Having physical artwork of your family will change your life.
I never had a formal family portrait with my family growing up. The only prints we had were developed from the point & shoot camera we had or were school photos. I don't recall having photographs on the walls of our home, but I do remember flipping through albums and boxes full of prints. We'd look at each one and ask our Mom or Dad when it was from, and we'd be told a short story about that day. Each photograph would bring back memories and emotions to be relived years later. That is the power of a portrait.
Digital vs Print
If you're like most families, you probably have hundreds of photos on your phone. Digital images are stored in our phones, computers, or even just social media and can easily be forgotten about. Unless we intentionally search for them, these images are not a part of our daily life. When you print and display your portraits, they become a part of your daily routine. As a mother of five children, I know that life can be extremely busy, and I have also fallen into the trap of not printing my own portraits myself. I understand, firsthand, how printing your photographs can be pushed to the backburner, and then forgotten about for years, if it is even ever done. It took me 18 months to finally sit down and design a book from my wedding portraits. Then, after baby number four - it took six YEARS to finally create her newborn portrait album. She was so excited to finally have her own book after seeing her older siblings have one of their own.
Digital image delivery methods can become outdated, lost, and the files can even corrupted. What would you do if you lost all the data on your hard drive that has all of your precious memories? I would be pretty upset, especially if I did not have a physical copy of my favorites somewhere. When I started in digital photography, delivering CDs of digital files to clients was what was done, then that became outdated and many computers no longer even have a CD Drive. Then, USBs became the rage, which is now becoming a thing of the past as well as we modernize the types of USB drives available. Soon, only online downloads will be available. I actually love using digital downloads for delivering social media sized images to clients. However, there are disadvantages to that system as well. I have had clients never actually download their images and then come back to me years later in hopes of retrieving their portraits. Passwords can be lost and forgotten, or you download your images and then forget where on the computer you laid them to rest.
Show Off What's Important to You
We often decorate are homes with what makes us feel most comfortable and is important to us. We display what we feel is beautiful and hide the things we don't. Portraits on the walls of your home will reinforce to your family that you think they are worth showing off.
Family portraits show your children that they are an important part of your family and serve as a reminder that your home is a safe space, no matter what life throws at them. By seeing their place in portraits, they better understand how they fit into your lives and into the family as a whole.
Build Your Child's Self-Esteem
Not only can displaying a framed print or canvas on the walls of your home bring warmth & beauty but displaying your family portraits and portraits of your children, can boost a child's self-confidence. Who cares if you don't have annual family portraits taken? It's not a big deal, right? In reality, family portraits have a massive impact on a child's self-esteem and how they view their place in the world and in your family.
A Tulane University study found that children who see photos of themselves have higher self-esteem than children who aren’t exposed to family portraits. Having your family portraits on display in your home can help your children grow into more confident adults. Perhaps you don't need to do them every year, but make sure you schedule family portraits for those big milestone moments in your child's life (or yours) or even if it's been a few years!
Your Future Heirlooms
You never really know the value of a portrait of your loved ones until that person is no longer here. Taking a family or a child's portrait can be an enjoyable event, however you are not taking the portrait just to have a portrait. You are taking the portraits and taking the time to plan outfits, locations, poses, etc. so that you can remember what means the most to you right now in 20, 30, 50 years from now. Your memories deserve to be created into an heirloom.
When you commission me to photograph your family, the end result is a museum quality, handmade piece of art to enjoy in your home. A display of your values for the world to see. You are one of a kind, your artwork should be too.
Complete the contact form below or schedule a 15-minute phone consultation with me today if you are ready to preserve your memories for a lifetime.
Are you ready to create heirlooms for the next generation?
If you're ready for your own custom portrait session and to create your future heirlooms together. Contact me using this form today or visit the contact page to book a free 15-minute call at your convenience.