Family portraits are very important in my opinion. Actually, they are priceless.
I was speaking (or rather preaching) to a friend recently on the importance of going all out & not hesitating on forking over the $$$ for a great event photographer. In this case we were discussing wedding photography. I cannot express how trivial cake & recuerdos seem in comparison to a gorgeous compilation of wedding photos. I mean, after the food is eaten, guests leave, the tux is returned, the bouquet wilts, & the wedding dress is suffocated in a bag & stuffed in a closet, what is left?
Memories, nothing but memories...mostly in the form of photographs. (Oh & the marriage & the certificate of course which is very special)
My point is, photographs are memories & memories are very important. Please make very nice memories & do not go cheap on recording those memories be it a wedding day or a family portrait. Who knows? Perhaps you will become famous & a documentary will be made on your life. Shoot, just realizing that future generations will recognize you only by these photographs makes making good photographs worth the trouble.
A question for you: Facebook profile pic or a beautifully crafted photograph printed on canvas?
Hah! Now that that is off my chest, let's go back to Family Portrait.
If you haven't guessed, this is a portrait of my own family & I dare you to guess which of these lovely feet are my own. Go ahead.
WRONG! ...well, maybe you were right. I'll keep it a mystery. That is unless you are very familiar with my shoe collection or I just flat out told you in person.
To say that faces are important in photographs is an understatement. Oh boy, don't get me started on the eyes! But as detailed and unique faces are that's not the whole story.
Let me clarify. I came across a song that I had not heard in years. Just listening to the first seconds flooded my memory of where I was that one time, with who, eating what & even wearing that.
With Family Portrait, I want to record the memory of our shoes that someday we will think back on where we bought them, where we went with them, who we were with & even how we ruined them doing that crazy thing.
Am I making sense?