Updating Your Family Portrait - NOVA Family Photographer

Why You Should Update Your Family Portraits?

At Tamieka Smith Photography, we love to help families make memories that will last for generations. These portraits will be able to preserve the youth of your children just after their born, your parents on their 50th anniversary or your graduation from high school. Family portraits can be kept for generations. Children grow quickly! Family members move to different states. There are various reasons why updating your family portraits should be done periodically. Documenting the growth and change in a family is particularly special and should be done at least every other year, if not sooner. This ensures you preserve your most precious memories with the people who mean most to you.
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Although we would like to have family portraits done, we come up with the normal excuses why we should wait: I need to lose weight; Money is tight; we might add to our family next year. The list goes on and on. This article is designed to talk about the reasons why you should update those portraits right now.
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It’s been a few years (or decades) since your last family portrait
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We’re all guilty of it. Life gets busy, and before you know it, that family portrait hanging on the wall is more than 10 years old.  Even if it’s been only a few years, I am willing to bet something has changed since your last family portrait session.
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You’ve added new family members
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A new baby, adoption, fostering, marriage, or even a new furbaby – it’s time to capture these new members of your family and celebrate them. It’s a well-documented theory that families who see their portraits displayed in their homes feel a closer bond, and children who see their portraits feel more loved and cherished.
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They’re only little for a short time
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All parents know this universal truth: Children grow up extremely fast. I want to remember every age of my two son’s childhood. I want to remember those first steps, their wacky facial expression as a toddler, and especially my youngest  jack-o-lantern smile in elementary school.  Soon, my eldest son will be in high school, and I don’t want to forget these years either.
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​You have an announcement to make

Are you expecting? Getting married? Moving? A family portrait is the perfect time to not only preserve these moments in your family history, but also have a fun and memorable way to announce those special changes.
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Preserve your family history

Maybe you’re seeing a theme. Your family has a story, and in the process of creating wonderful history. Family portraits are the best way to preserve that history for future generations. Let’s be honest – family portraits aren’t really for you, at least not entirely. You will love your photographs, and you will cherish them, but who will get the most benefit from the portraits you take today? Your children, your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren. Fifty years from now, your grandchildren will still have those printed portraits to look back on and see who grandma and grandpa were, what they looked like, where they lived, what they enjoyed, etc. My most prized possession is the portrait of my mother and mother-in-law.  

You only get the family together once or twice a year
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Each fall and winter, I get dozens of inquiries from families who are together for the holidays. A common thread seems to be that these families rarely get everyone together in the same location, so it makes sense to have an extended family portrait taken to capture all of the generations together. It’s similar for my family – we are rarely all together at the same time.  Now we are beginning to hire a photographer to capture our family together.  Our last extended family portrait was done in December at Walt Disney World; capturing a fun time together in Orlando.  (And yes – I specialize in extended family sessions as well!)
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You’ve moved, or redecorated your home
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Perhaps you had a family portrait session last year, but since then you’ve moved to a new city, or state, or updated your home. This makes a great opportunity to capture your new surroundings in your new locale, or to create portraits that reflect your updated decor. I’m happy to visit your home and help make suggestions for timeless portraits that will also look stunning in your home!

The holidays will be here again before we know it!
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Yes, that means holiday cards, gifts for family, and friends. Grandma wants an updated portrait of the kids. Aunt Lizzy, who lives 1,700 miles away and has never met the “baby” of the family who is now 3, would love to receive a holiday card with a current family portrait. The fall leaves may be almost gone, but there are still many ways to capture lovely portraits in the winter (and it can be a lot of fun, too! Can you say Hot Chocolate?!?).

Finally, WHY NOT?

Yes, I know that you have reasons to wait, but the reasons to update your family portrait right now outweigh any of those excuses. Your family is valuable, right now? Family portraits are an investment in YOU.
I know choosing a family portrait photographer is important. It isn’t a decision you make lightly. I would love to speak to you about how we can plan the perfect portrait session for you and your family. There is still time for family portraits – as a matter of fact the Cherry Blossoms will be in bloom soon!

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