Why are family portraits are so important?

Hunter Valley Family Photographer

I am a photographer for many reasons but mostly because I love that warm fuzzy feeling I get inside when I know I have captured a beautiful moment. Showing families these moments as beautiful photographs is amazing, I love seeing the real emotion of families and couple viewing their family portraits. I know for me looking back at family photos and feeling that nostalgia, reliving past memories is so good. Photos bring it all back to the present and create a conversation with others, they show the love, the warmth, the joy, and even the sadness of that person who is now gone. Below I have shared a few of the main reasons family portraits are so important.

(And look at my loves and me from around 11 years ago)

Milestones

This is big are percent of all the family sessions that I do. Capturing those important occasions that signify a new step in your life are very special. Engagement, weddings, new baby, 1st birthday, anniversary, graduation, children leaving home. These milestones are those huge moments that most people try to remember by in photographs. Lots of these you tend to gather your family around to celebrate, those times you get nice and dressed up for. (My family photo above is at a wedding)

Memories

Sometime family portraits are just because….capturing you being you at this point in time. Photos to remember the way your family life is right now, at the park or at your home. It may be a significant birthday for you or your children. It is lovely to capture your life as it is now – as you with your loves, or before your children grow too much, or as they are about to leave home and refuse be in photos.

Capturing Growth

Portraits are a beautiful way to document growth in your family. As your family gains extra members or capturing the children in different stages of their life. They grow before your eyes and it is amazing to compare new portraits to images taken previously. Seeing the size difference, the face changes, the missing teeth grown in, short hair grown long, teens who have developed their own style, the wrinkles and grey hairs us parents develop…the changes you see are endless.

Be in the photos

You have plenty of photos of the children because you know and treasure photographs. You take the photos but you never appear in them. But it is so important to be in front of the camera too, be there with your children and partner, and parents and pets and grandparents. Show the love, interaction, hugs, giggles. Have portraits with your partner, don’t be forever just your wedding photos. We all grow and change and its important for your children to see you in the family albums and on the walls. One day your children will look for photos of you. What will they find?

(Me again with my loves – but i do need a new one this year- Kelly Smith Photography)

Generations

Getting all the family can be a real challenge especially when your children are grown, left home and have their own children and partners. But photos with all of you together is a wonderful treat and well worth the effort to arrange it all. The images all match and look beautiful hanging together on a wall. Wedding anniversary or milestone birthdays are usually when these big get togethers happen. I often head out to a group accomodation to photograph families who are staying around the vineyards for the weekend. There are so many beautiful places to stay in the Hunter Valley, HERE is a link to some accomodation options.