When was your last family photoshoot?
When was your last family Photoshoot? Last year? 5 years ago? Never?
Most often family photoshoots are seen as a one off or special occasion only event. If the only professional photos of you family you have are from the last wedding you attended – and you weren’t the happy couple! – then you are really missing out. There are many great reasons to have your family professionally photographed, but here are the 8 reasons I think are the most important.
Saving a moment in time
There is a great saying that “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now”. That applies to your family photographs too. While you may not have been able to document your family every year or even at all so far, now is the next best time to start. How your family looks, and who your family are today, is not how they will look or be in ten years time, or maybe even one year. Capture that snapshot of who you are now, since you are never stop growing together.
Everybody together in one photo
How many family photos do you have at arms length? I bet its hundreds more than you have taken by someone outside your immediate family group. I see it all too often. I’m guilty of it myself too. We get all dressed up for a family occasion and he best photo we end the night with is a selfie or at best at a distance with our phone balanced on a ledge for a less than perfect angle.
A professional family photoshoot will produce those amazing photographs of your whole family together and you’ll get more than just one, with time to create various looks showing all the wonderful dynamics in your little brood.
Show them they are loved
Nothing boosts a child’s confidence like feeling loved. and a family portrait on the wall of your main living space with you all together makes them feel super special. Not only that, it also serves as a great nostalgia trigger in years to come. To this day, whenever my siblings and I are all back at our parents home together, at some point we’ll refer to our family portrait in the dining room from 20 years ago when we were all so young and begin telling stories from that time.
Capture life stages
“They grow up so fast!” We all know it’s true. From sitting up for the first time to starting school seems to go past in flash. Any parent will tell you that they blinked and now their children are grown up. Make the most of those precious life stages with an annual family photoshoot, giving you a home that’s a storybook of your wee clan.
Heritage
Artwork can last forever. You see portraits in museums, stately homes and castles. Your family portraits are no different. They are part of your legacy and can be past to your children.
Professional photographers will always offer premium prints that will stand up to fading and deterioration for many years, meaning the next generation can see in beautiful detail just who their grandparents were.
Visiting Family
If you have a family that lives far apart and you only see each other occasionally, take advantage of the next time everyone is in town and book an extended family photoshoot.
Having you photos done of your immediate family is important, but so is having one of the whole tribe if you are normally separated. It’s not just Grandparents that will appreciate such a gift, brothers, sisters and cousins all love having that big family photo to show off, whether it’s on the fridge or as a framed canvas in the family room.
Update old portraits
I started off this post by asking when was the last time you had a family photoshoot.
The most common reason I hear from families for not having a family photoshoot is because they had one done ‘X’ years ago. While you may not choose to have one every year, regularly updating the main family photo should be done frequently, whether it’s to coincide with fresh décor in your home or to add the newest additions to your family – be they two or four-legged!
New wall art adds new smiles to your home. It also serves as a great family day out. Getting dressed up, having fun and spending quality time with each other is always a wonderful bonding experience.
It's a lot of fun!
Family photoshoots are the best!
You’ll laugh, giggle and smile so much your cheeks ache. Being with your family with no distractions, while you create beautiful images together is more than a means to an end, it’s a lovely afternoon out together.
It’s not about everyone being perfect and staring down the barrel of a lens. Family sessions are about interaction with each other. Tickles, hugs and silly faces.
It’s about being yourselves and letting the camera do the work of telling your families story.
Want to learn more about my family photoshoot packages?
Looking for a family photographer but your not around central Scotland?
Try Luke Warwick Photography covering Manchester or Samantha Clyne Photography in the North East of Scotland.