The Significance of Portraits

Significance of Portraits

The first thing people usually ask me when they find out I’m a photographer is either, “What type of photography?” or “How did you get into that?” My answer is, of course, always the same. I have been in love with photography since I took my first film photography class (that’s right, no digital yet) at the community college! It’s been over 20 years since then and I have photographed friends and their families on and off in that time. I even worked at a portrait studio for a while. But that’s not really the interesting part of the story. The best question is why? Why do you spend your time photographing people? What is the significance of portraits to you? I could say because I love it and that would be the truth, but the real answer is very personal. I photograph because of my Grandmother!!!

My lovely grandmother and grandpa with my sister (left) and I.

Grandma Pat

My grandmother, Patricia, or Patsy as my Papa would call her, was such a huge influence on my life. Although we lived almost 6 hours away, I would talk to her often on the phone. I loved spending time with her on our yearly summer visits. Like most women, she hated having her picture taken. We even have home movies of her waving off the camera and although there was no sound recording, I can always hear her saying, “Get that thing outta here!” The photos I have of her are few and far between.

Why I spend my life photographing others

When she passed away in 2002 I lamented the fact that we didn’t have a whole lot of photos of her past her 20s. I mean, we have some snapshots throughout the years but she never had her portrait made. What I wouldn’t give for gorgeous portraits of my lovely grandmother. THIS is why I photograph! At the end of the day, I want my clients to remember all those important moments. I want to create canvases and albums that will be passed down through generations.

Cherish your memories, Print your portraits.

I mean, isn’t that why we photograph weddings? We want to remember all of the things that we will likely forget about that day. My passion for photography focuses on the lifecycle of the woman. Her early years followed by maternity portraits. Portraits of her newborn and then of her children and family as they grow. I want to photograph women as they age because every part of her life is important. I LOVE generational portraits where I often have four or five generations of women in my studio celebrating their family. (Of course the guys join in too but the women, so often critical of their appearance, are my focus!)

A three-generation portrait….priceless now and forever!

I want my clients to cherish their portraits. That’s why I go on about the significance of portraits. I want them to be printed for the wall or in an album. That way future generations won’t miss out on that family history. In next week’s post I’ll talk about why printing your photos is so important. Spoiler alert: the short answer is that digital files are not archival, they are corruptible. Professional level prints that are archival are the best way to preserve memories.

Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Image Box, Acrylic Print, Heirloom Album (shown with Grandparent Album add on).

Capture who you are today because tomorrow comes fast

I am grateful for the photos that we do have of my grandmother. But I truly wish that I (or even someone else) had known enough then to know that we would treasure every portrait once she was gone. Life is short and unexpected things pop up. Please don’t wait until it’s too late to capture who you are right now! Babies grow quickly, children change so much over the years. You’ll want to remember every bit of that just as much as your family will want to remember every bit of you!

What is the significance of portraits to you? If you are ready to create portraits of the people you cherish most, fill out the contact form here. We can start designing your custom session today!

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