As a family photographer I know what one single portrait can do. One single portrait.
I know the power of a single photograph that draws you in, and speaks to you.
A photograph that will out live and outlast, and will always carry with it, a special message that will say so much more than any words ever could.
I remember this family photography session, I had photographed this family a few years earlier and was looking forward to seeing them once again.
This family is from Sydney but our session was held in Camden, close to Elderslie and Spring Farm. A beautiful afternoon with gorgeous light and a beautiful family… What more can a family photographer ask for?
They are a close family and so much love is happily shared.
One of the reasons why I do what I do is because of the memories we create but also because I know, and most of you also know, time moves so quickly and what we have today, we wont have in a year or two. It will be the same people but a different dynamic, a different feel. Our children grow right before our eyes and something as simple as picking them up and holding them close to your face will be something we can no longer do after a few years.
I don’t remember the last time I picked up either of my children, I don’t think I could right now, they are too big 🙂
My children are also coming to an age where they are more self conscious and aware of who may be watching them, they still love me, I know that, but I get asked… “Is it ok if I don’t wave goodbye Mum?” or “Just pretend I am waving to you”.
I have to ask my daughter if I can give her a kiss to send her off to school for the day and I know now, I need to do that before she is in sight of her friends.
At home we snuggle up and show affection freely but things have changed outside our home and I only get to hold my little boys hand now if we are somewhere he wouldn’t come across his friends.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, I now have it to a certain extent and I have an instinct that tells me to capture those things for you all, I know one day you will be missing them too. While being a family photographer is about capturing the faces of your family members I strive to document so, so much more.
Its about the boy who will all too soon become a man, its about things you will miss, picking up your children, holding their little hand in yours, sloppy kisses on your cheek, they way they look up at you from their level as if you are as tall as a mountain, their need for you to tend to their physical and emotional needs.
Its also about you, having a document of yourself being a parent, looking down into their eyes, holding their little hands and scooping them up into your arms and holding them close to you. You will be able to keep these memories forever, and your child will be able to keep their own memories and their own interpretation of who you are and what you mean to them.
Studies have shown that children who see a visual reminder of the love and security shared in their immediate family unit on their walls each and every day have an increase in their self esteem by 37 percent. Yes that is right, family portraits can help you in your mission to raise confident, secure children.
Quality portraiture by a professional family photographer when captured in a timeless and classic way can carry a child through their early years and take them well into adulthood.
If we fast forward 20 years, as scary as that seems, we hope our children have grown into grounded, achieving adults who carry their families love with them as their support network. The portraits from their early years that gave them a solid foundation to grow upon can be given to them or kept in the family home. Either way, I know for sure your family portraits will increase in value with every single day that passes. You will never regret having your bond and connection documented by a professional family photographer. If anything, it may take 20 years for us to sometimes see just how much of an impact family photos can have in our lives.
And its my absolute honour to be the one to play a part in this. All it takes is one photograph, a visual of your universe, and your childrens universe proudly displayed for all to see and enjoy, every single day.
So call me, or find a professional family photographer whose work you LOVE and will enjoy looking at for the next 30 -50 years, and print your photos, having them live in a USB simply won’t do, looking at them once every few years (if the technology doesn’t fail us) simply won’t do.
Family portraits are a long term investment we need to take seriously.
I am based in Camden, but am available to travel to most areas including Oran Park, Gregory Hills, Harrington Park and parts of Sydney.
K 🙂