The importance of portraits {Southern Minnesota Portrait Photographer}

We hear a lot of photographers, including myself, talk about how important it is to capture your family with professional portraits. To take the time to have them done, and how you won’t regret it.

We don’t say this to push our business.

We don’t say this as a marketing strategy.

We say this because it is true.

I, of course, travel everywhere with my camera. I take photos constantly (which can drive my family crazy sometimes). But I want to capture our memories so we have something to look back on. I try my hardest to get in these photos as well.

Last year my family had portraits done by my amazing friend Rebecca of Rockhill Studio . We had our whole family home for my parent’s 50th anniversary. It was amazing to capture my parents with all of their grandchildren. We also got some immediate family photos, because guess what? We had NEVER had a family portrait done. The only one I can remember was a church directory photo when I was very young.

This was a gift to my parents from my siblings and I. I felt this was very important to do for them.

I will never regret this decision.

My dad passed away on Monday morning. I will cherish every photo I have of him. The silly ones, the professional ones, and especially those with my kids. He was an amazing man. He loved to laugh and crack jokes. He had an amazing way of making up poems about things. He had quite a way with words.

See, if we hadn’t had our family portraits done last year, we never would have. I am so very grateful for those.

We don’t have a lot of time on this earth. Cherish these moments, and hire a photographer to take family portraits. Print your photos.

My dad’s friend had taken this amazing photo of him while he was working at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy 500 race. He worked there every May since 1997. It was his favorite time of year. This photo captures his love of the track. It’s our favorite photo of my dad. I had it printed on metal for him for his birthday one year. Now my mom has it hanging in her room.

12-14 May, 2016, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Print. Your. Photos.

I am guilty of only using my cell phone for photos. It is what we have on hand (literally). But you can’t really enlarge photos from cell phones. The quality has dramatically improved over the years, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not what it could be.

These moments with my dad I will cherish forever. Having these images of him and his grandchildren are precious.

I will be making an album of photos of my dad with my kids for them. They are young and I want them to have something to look at to remember their Bumpa.

My dad taught me a lot of things.

To stand up for what I believed in.
Try harder.
Work hard and you will reap the benefits.
Laugh, always laugh.
Most importantly, and one I live by….
“Early is on time, on time is late.”

Dad, I will miss our talks about books, cars, and the kids. I know you are watching them and will be their guardian angel. There are so many things I wish I had told you, but I know you are here with me. You left us too soon, you were too early.