Next week starts our annual week long Families in the Park photography promotion. We are so happy to have the chance to meet so many new families each year and see how our regular families have grown since their last portraits and if you have yet to book your session with us check out all the info here, and drop us a line: . Ryan and I are now in our 11th year of photographing families at Rowell Photography but before that we photographed tons of families at Zehrs Portrait Studios, you might know that already because you might have been one of those families long ago. This was in the days before cell phones had cameras and before digital cameras were easy to come by. To say the least, less photos were taken back then, especially by yours truly. When every frame we took could cost upwards of $1.00 in film, and working in a grocery store portrait studio was barely considered “making a living” we had to pay close attention, make fewer errors and some how capture candid portraits. It was very difficult, and family portraits often looked dull, and unengaged. Families dreaded having portrait sessions, and for a long gap of time between the mid 90’s and the early 2000’s families just didn’t care about family portraits. They were tired of the experience and unimpressed by the results. But who can blame you?

When digital cameras could finally catch up with the speed necessary to capture fun and candid moments between families there was an insurgence of families flocking to studios like the one we worked for back then. Soon taking family portraits was an annual event for families, choosing to update their photos every year and often choosing a relaxed portrait to hang on the wall, or even a series of images that showcase the family in a variety of different expressions, settings and outfits. When cell phone cameras improved the quality of their images and anyone could take photos, once again family photography became popular and families wanted more creative, professional photos, and fun settings showing their families at play. This is the type of thing that inspires us! We want to capture you as a family, loving life and at play. We want to blend the classic portrait sitting with kids running through a field or splashing in a lake or playing in the park. We like funny faces, crazy kids, and parents who go with the flow. We want the type of family portraits our parents never had the ability to give us.

So when you ask yourself if having family photos every year or two is a necessary expense, consider the excuse you will have to give your kids when they are older and asking why you didn’t have more photos taken (this is not a trick question, there just won’t be any excuses.)

We hope you take the opportunity to photograph your kids as much as possible, to hire a professional when you want to put the camera down and live without regrets.

Happy Spring Everyone! We hope to see you next week.

Cheers

& Ryan