Summer 2023
You probably already know the 3 main reasons we take and keep photos: Memories, Decorating, and Gift-giving. Fulfilling the “memories” category is often done digitally nowadays. So, like most photographers, I offer digital downloads of your favorite images so you can store them and share online. But I like to also take care of the Decorating and Gift-giving categories by providing quality prints, portrait books, and wall art like canvases and framed collages.
It's so wonderful to be able to look at a photo to remember just how sassy your 4 year old used to be, or how adorable your child was when they lost their first tooth. That sweet little smile your baby does only in their sleep.
That one Summer where all 4 of your kids actually got along for long enough to get a great smile out of everyone at the same time with no bribes or threats of punishment required.
That look of pride and accomplishment on your baby's face when they pull up and stand all by themselves (I know it sounds silly for a baby to have a “look of pride,” but I swear I have seen it on almost every 9-12 month old I've photographed.)
And of course those special, planned moments that we never want to forget: The celebration of love shining through your engagement photos; the miracle of creating new life represented by your maternity photos; the “limited time only” teeny-tiny cuteness of your newborn photos; and all the milestones afterward: crawling, walking, birthdays, proms, graduations, and so forth. Keeping a record of our lives has become so important in our culture, and I am here to help you document yours!
We live in a world where everyone is taking photos and videos of everything all the time. In our current generation, we have placed a sort of importance on posting, sharing, liking, and following, so I am happy to offer digital copies of your images with many of my packages, and if they're not included in the collection you choose, you can always opt to order them separately. And, let's face it, you might drop your phone into the toilet or spill soda on you computer. Your zip drive might get misplaced or some files get corrupted. Your photo album might get lost during a move, or destroyed in a fire; or you could accidentally drop that framed family photo only to get a scratch or wrinkle on your favorite print. But if you save your images to the "Cloud," you'll always have a backup. So having a digital copy, and saving it in multiple places is a good way to go.
While it's nice to have digital copies to share instantly online and save as a backup, I have always felt that it was important to also have a hard copy. Maybe it is because I grew up before digital cameras were the norm and camera phones didn't exist, but there's something about being able to hold something in our hand, display on our walls, or frame, wrap, and give as a gift to someone who really appreciates seeing our family's face on their mantle, desk or bookshelf. For this reason, all of my collections feature print credits, so you can choose if you'd prefer prints, photo books, wall art or other products and keepsakes for you to view your pictures without having to turn on your devices.
Both of my Grandmothers passed recently. Our family was everything to them. For my maternal Grandmommie (pictured above with me) my family made a beautiful photo blanket with all of our favorite images of each of her kids and grandkids throughout the years and laid it over her casket at her funeral service. We know she would have LOVED it. We only wish we had made it and given it to her sooner.
And when my paternal Grandmother passed, my parents were going through her house deciding what to do with everything, and they found that she kept every single photo, hand-written thank-you note, and holiday card my brother and I had ever sent her. And that just solidified for me how important having something solid, rather than digital, means to us, whether we realize it now or not.
I want you to decorate your homes with your favorite people's faces; and enjoy going through old albums remembering the “good old days.” Plus you can't go wrong giving gifts of your smiling faces to friends and extended family that might not see you every day.
One of my favorite suggestions for clients (particularly parents) is to make 3+ copies of each of your favorite photos ~ whether it's a snapshot from a vacation or family holiday get-together, or from your professional portrait sessions. Keep one for your house (either a larger copy to frame on your wall or put on your desk at work, or a smaller copy for your album), one or two to give as gifts to grandparents for the holidays or Grandparent's Day (the First Sunday after Labor Day), and one to make a special *secret* album to surprise your kids when they graduate, move out on their own, or when they get married. You can even add some of their own art from when they're little and pair it with a page of photos from how old they were when they finger painted that picture you used to cherish on your refrigerator.
I still go through all the old photo albums at my parents' house whenever I go and visit. And I'm glad my parents weren't always behind the camera, either; seeing old photos of all of us together gives me all the feels and reminds me how much my parents love my brother and me and how thankful I am to have my family!