You can take tons of selfies and even photograph your family with your iPhone. But where are those pictures today? For most of us, they stay in the digital cloud, or get posted on social media and then never see the light of day again. Social platforms know this and send you anniversary reminders of what you posted from years in the past. Since we all have a phone with a camera everywhere we go, it has allowed us all to easily photograph family outings and events. As our phones continues to evolve, it will become easier to capture everything we do with our family.
From my personal experience, I’m looking at my son who is about to graduate from High School. Where did the time go? I just received a Facebook reminder that 7 years ago today, he graduated from 5th grade. Sadly, it seems just like yesterday that I was holding his hand and walking him to school. Someone once said to me that minutes feel like forever, yet years pass in an instant. So how can you tell if you need to photograph your Family today? Check out the top 5 tips outlined below to tell if you need a family photograph update.
1. YOU’RE NOT IN ANY OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS WITH YOUR FAMILY…
There’s a few reasons for this one, but the most common is that you’re always the one taking the photos of the family. Rather than enjoying and spending time in the moment that has just passed you by, you are busy taking pictures of everyone. Another common reason for not being in the family photos is because you’re just too busy to make it to these events for the family. Sure, working or other things seem important at the time. Remember, you’ll never be able to relive emotions from the pictures of other family members if you’re not there to experience them yourself. An easy fix for not being in the family photos is to offload that responsibility and make time for the family.
2. THE CLOTHES IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE FAMILY ARE AS OLD AS YOUR HUSBANDS UNDERWEAR…
We can’t escape our baby pictures at our parents house, but we shouldn’t fall into the same trap and keep photo’s from a decade past in our own home. It’s cute to remember those long ago memories and to tease our kids and it’s hard to let go of those photos. One remedy is to dedicate a portion of the house as a historic collage. You can even create a scrap book for those older pictures, and cherish those moments on display with stories as part of your legacy for generations to come.
So if your clothes in the family photos need an update, it goes without saying that you’re overdue to update your family portraits in your home. If you don’t like change very much, than look to create a portrait that is like artwork and can easily handle years of handling and being hung on the wall.
3. YOU CAN’T REMEMBER WHERE TO FIND THE IMAGE OF YOUR DAUGHTERS FIRST GRADE GRADUATION…
IN TIP #1 WE DISCUSSED HOW USEFUL AND EASY OUR PHONES HAVE BECOME TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUR FAMILY. THE UBIQUITY OF PHONES AND CAMERAS MEANS THAT PEOPLE ARE CAPTURING MORE MOMENTS OF TIME TO REMEMBER THEM LATER. EVEN WITH TODAY’S FACIAL RECOGNITION, FINDING ONE PICTURE THAT YOU TOOK OUT OF A FEW THOUSAND IS A DAUNTING TASK. IN ADDITION, WHEN YOU FINALLY FIND THE PICTURE OF YOUR DAUGHTER, SHE’S NOW IN HIGH SCHOOL AND DOESN’T EVEN REMEMBER THAT PICTURE BECAUSE IT WAS IN YOUR PHONE.
IF YOUR PHONE IS SO FULL THAT YOU CAN’T TAKE ANY MORE PHOTOS OR VIDEOS, IT’S TIME TO OFFLOAD THOSE MEMORIES TO AN ARCHIVE. BUT BEFORE YOU DO THAT, LOOK THROUGH THOSE PHOTO’S AND SEND THEM TO A PRINTER FOR A TANGIBLE MEMORY THAT CAN BE USED IN THE COLLAGE ROOM. ALSO, CONSIDER OFFLOADING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CAPTURING THOSE PRECIOUS MOMENTS TO A FRIEND OR TRUSTED PROFESSIONAL.
4. YOU HAVE A NEW PET THAT ISN’T IN ANY PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOUR FAMILY…
Just like your kids, our little fury pets deserve a place on our art wall. Sadly, our fury kids grow up even faster than our human ones. A Christmas present in December, quickly becomes a four legged family member that wants the most attention. To many, pets are the only kids left to spoil and have their own rooms. It’s wise to take a family photograph with your new pet as soon as possible, and as often as once per month during their first year. Your five pound lap puppy will not know its 50 lbs in six months, but you will.
Be in those photos with your pet, take selfies with them, and give them their own portrait and artwork. You’ll cherish those memories and artwork when you tell stories about them to your grand kids.
5. SELFIES DOMINATE MORE THAN 50% OF YOUR “IMPORTANT” FAMILY PHOTOS…
You look around the house and notice that in every photo half your arm is missing and you seem to be yelling “hay!” in every picture. Congratulations! The family photos successfully made it off your phone, and into print. That’s great news, and better than most snapshots that end up lost in the digital archives. So how does this qualify as a need for renewed family photography? Remember, that there’s a finite amount of digital creativity that will help make those iPhone images artistic. Wide angle lenses in phones are great at distorting reality and can even digitally mimic lens effects. However, you’re missing out on background compression, real subject separation caused by shallow depths of field, and even those beautiful sky’s that are recovered due to dynamic range. And to top it off, you’ll be able to remember how beautiful you and your family really look like in a family photo.
To find out more about Family Photography and for great tips on how to prepare for your next family photo experience, contact us here.
