Of all the types of portraiture, if you ask me, professional family photos are by far the most important… and yet, they are probably the most likely to be overlooked.
But why is that?
Unlike special occasions – like a new baby, an engagement or a wedding – there’s no particular time where professional family photos have to be scheduled – so it becomes all too easy to put off until later. We take professional pictures of events and significant moments in our lives, but what we don’t do enough is simply come together, with the specific purpose of celebrating just us. This could be as a couple or as a family, or even just to say, look how much we have grown and changed from last year.
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But often later never comes, or sadly, it becomes too late. Many people have expressed to me the regrets of not having got around to it, only to have something happen that makes it impossible to ever capture the family, as it existed. Here in the UAE, there’s the added complication of many of us being expats – with limited or no extended family close – so the opportunities become scarce.
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“Create photo opportunities to preserve the memories of our lives…”
“The images I will create for you, will eventually become priceless memories that will forever celebrate who you were today…”
“What we don’t do enough is simply come together, with the specific purpose of celebrating just us.”
So maybe the key word here is ‘separation’… This could mean separation by time or distance, or separation simply by the natural ebbs and flow of life. Time waits for no man (or woman) so we need to recognise this, and create photo opportunities to preserve the memories of our lives…
“The key word here is ‘separation’… This could mean separation by time or distance, or separation simply by the natural ebbs & flow of life.”
Time…
We all have times in our life that we look back on and ponder, “I wish”. Just think about how fast children grow up. I am often heard quoting “The days are long; but the years are short…” purely because it is so true! I think it’s sad that many families don’t have wonderful, memory-evoking family portraits taken as their children grow up. They don’t have treasured portraits that tell the story of what they liked to do together, showing their relationships and the passage of their own family’s journey.
Distance…
A century ago, it wasn’t unusual for families to live their entire lives within a few miles of each other – but not in modern life. In today’s world families are often far flung. Children grow up and leave the nest, and once they have left, it’s so much harder to get everyone together to create a family portrait. Who knows when your next opportunity to capture everyone together will be?
The Ebbs & Flow of Life…
As much as we hate to admit it, life has a natural beginning and ending. It’s normal to assume that those we love will always be there with us, but deep down we all know it’s simply not the case. Sadly, we all know families who unexpectedly lost someone important to them. That’s when the “I wish…” regrets are so strong if they’ve “never got around to it”. And if they had, then those portraits become true personal treasures.
When I do family portrait sessions, I always try to individually photograph the various relationships within the family… especially the relationship between generations. I make a point to photograph each Parent or Grandparent individually with the children too – this is from personal experience. My own Father passed away 11 years ago, and since then I have searched high & low for a photograph of just him & me, to no avail – that’s my own “I wish…” moment – I regret not having that to look back on.
“I always try to individually photograph the various relationships within the family… especially the relationship between generations.”
Most importantly, children will treasure these photographs when they grow up. I truly believe that if children see pictures of their family enjoying life – holding hands, laughing, sharing moments – it helps promote confidence in that love and security. If they’re surrounded by happy images, I think it encourages them to be happy as well; they will feel like they have grown up in a loving home, because they can actually see it all around them.
“If children see pictures of their family enjoying life – holding hands, laughing, sharing moments – it helps promote confidence in that love and security.”
So photographers can’t change the circumstances of life, but certainly can arrange a little magic to freeze moments of time by creating professional family photos that are treasured memories for you. We can provide you with a beautiful and constant presence of each of those you love – even if you’re separated by thousands of miles.
“We can provide you with a beautiful and constant presence of each of those you love – even if you’re separated by thousands of miles.”
“Most importantly, children will treasure these professional family photos when they grow up.”
But for us to do this, you have to decide that the time is now, not in an “I wish…” moment when it’s no longer possible!
So, there is no time like the present… Invest in your family for generations to come – make that call, or write that email, and schedule your session.
Yes, it involves some arrangements… But I know you’ll be so happy you made the effort!
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Hello, my name is Victoria and I am a lifestyle family photographer based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. For me, Photography is an essential way to preserve priceless memories and freeze moments in life. Time is all too fleeting and before we know it, the years pass by and we look back and wonder where the time went. We can’t stop time, but maybe – if I had a super power – that is what I’d wish for. Our best chance is to document our lives so we have a window into our past that we can visit whenever we like. I find so much joy in using my skills to create priceless memories for others. It challenges my mind and breathes energy into my soul. I celebrate freezing those moments to capture not only the big picture, but also the beautiful details and time-capsule minutiae, to celebrate the love and connections within family and kinship.
