Group of 10 - unveiled

I think these two go hand in hand. Great memories are best remembered through photographs and photographs allow us to remember great memories. As a photographer, I’m fortunate to be doing this for a career and for my clients. But as a dad, husband, son and brother, I’m even more fortunate to do this for me, my family and friends.

Photographs not only bring us great memories of special times, but also let us remember those that have passed on. Portraits are no different and are even often overlooked today on a professional level. Think about it for a second. When was the last time you had a professional photograph taken of you and your family, immediate or extended? Most likely it was at a formal event, like a wedding, birthday or family reunion. But why not do it just to preserve the moment?

I try to get family photographs done by a professional every year. Yes, I’m fortunate to know alot of photographers. But sometimes, I become the photographer for this portrait. Here is a photograph of my entire immediate family (my mom and dad, brother, sister), plus my wife and daughter, my grandmom, aunt and uncle, as well as my sister’s husband and daughter.

Yeah, its a nice photo on the beach in the Outer Banks 2004. Pretty typical actually. But when I see this photograph, a lot comes to my mind, some good and some bad. My wife is expecting our 2nd child, our son Kristian. My brother is no longer seeing his girlfriend in the picture. This was a time that was also important for my career, as from this vacation, I was a full time photographer.

But most importantly, it is the last photograph of my family (mom, dad, brother and sister) together as I lost my dad to cancer the following year.

So, don’t wait! Get a professional photograph done of you and your family. A photographer that I look up to greatly, David Williams in Austrailia, said to me and some other workshop members, “These portraits/photographs are not just important to us now, but more important to our kids and their kids in the future.”