THE PURPOSE OF PHOTOGRAPHS

Your family will thank you for reading on... This is my mother; a beautiful, sweet, kind, caring, gentle, generous, patient, creative and saintly sole. She was the light and warmth in the room. We would spend hours on the phone just chatting, I mean hours! For almost five years now, she has been my angel and heavenly support and I miss her every day.

But you know one thing my mom didn’t like? Like many of us, it was having her picture taken.

Here’s the thing: This picture of Mom connects me to the beautiful spring day we spent together, eating a gourmet meal and walking the flower gardens at Pickity Place in Mason, NH. (Never been? You have to go! - see gardens below.)

Although she was reluctant when I turned the camera towards her, thankfully she was gracious enough to let me take this and a few others. We didn’t know at the time that 10 years later, almost to the day, this would become her obituary picture and the one that my Father displays, lavishly framed, keeping her spirit and memory alive as he continues on in the house they called home for 55 years together.

So, what is the purpose of pictures? Well, working with a potential client to photograph a milestone event and portraits of her family and then having her decide, “sadly we’re going to hold off on pictures…,” her reason broke my heart. She said she recently saw pictures of herself and wasn’t happy with her physical appearance. With all do respect, my response to her was this:

“What I'm about to say is IN NO WAY intended to be a push for me to try to get your business AT ALL. Instead, it is a plea for you to remember the purpose of photographs. Their purpose is not necessarily for us, they’re for our loved ones. No one will look back on a portrait and say "I wish you were skinnier in that photo." Loved ones see us all the time. They know who we are inside and out. So although we have a different view of ourselves, our loved ones only care about the memory of that moment. They love us regardless of shape/size.” 

I went on to say “I'm sure there will be one or more photographic device(s) at your gathering. PLEASE, for your family and friends (and frankly for your own memory of photos to look back on of you all together), do not dodge the photos. Make sure you're in them! Remember, there may not be a perfect time to have a portrait taken, but there may come a time when you regret not having one.”

Her response? She agreed that I’d raise some important points and with my help now has a beautiful album and portraits displayed in her home from the event. I was so happy, not because she hired me, but because she realized how important it was for her loved ones! Same with the photo of my Mom, can you image if she resisted and said no to having her picture taken? That moment and visual memory of her (for me and my family) enjoying herself and looking so authentically her would go uncaptured. 

Whether you like having your picture taken or not, the next time a camera is pointed in your direction, please remember the purpose of photographs. Instead of thinking how you will like it, think of the gift you’re giving your loved ones and smile big! The next picture of you might just warm the hearts of your family and friends and remind them how much they love you!