I often have to help my clients to re-think their understanding of what a family portrait really is. The old “everybody say cheese” images never worked for me because they’re not portraits; really they lack the personality and relationships that I’m looking for.

Because there are so many relationships within a family unit, I like to break the group up into smaller units focusing on the specific relationships within the smaller group. Mom and the kids have a different relationship from that of Dad and the kids. The kids have a different relationship among themselves than they have with either Mom or Dad, and, of course, Mom and Dad have their own relationship outside of the children. It is the melding of all of these unique relationships that creates a family.

Capturing these relationships in photographs and grouping those images on a wall in your home is what creates a true portrait of your family. And while the story that the gallery of images tells is slightly different for each family member, the overall effect is to present the story of your family.

This approach to portraiture is altogether different from the photograph that just says, “Yes, we were all together here in front of the camera on this date.” Don’t get me wrong. Yes, those “say cheese” photographs are important historically, but they are almost always not portraits. They don’t tell your family’s story. They are pictorial documents of your family’s history.

Isn’t it time that you began to tell your family’s story with true portraits?

Contact us and let’s see what we can do for you in the way of family portraits.