Why You Shouldn’t Wait for Family Portraits.
When I first started my journey as a photographer, I was mostly focused on just taking pretty pictures. It wasn’t until much later that the importance of what I do started to sink in.
In 2020, the world changed forever. What was sure to be a great year suddenly took a sharp turn for the worst with the global shutdown due to the covid-19 pandemic. Businesses shuttered, schools closed, and even the best laid plans were cancelled. We all learned with a quickness that life is unpredictable and can change in a moment.
Suddenly, the decision I had made to stay home for the holidays just a few months prior, thinking I would just visit next year was a decision that filled me with regret. What if my grandparents didn’t survive until next year? I had taken life for granted, and it was a terrible feeling. I resolved that as soon as it was safe to do so, I was going home to visit. No more excuses.
Then, a friend and former client of mine experienced the sudden loss of her husband. The last family portrait they had together was one that I had taken. They even used some of the photos for his memorial service. I started thinking about the last time I had taken a family portrait of my own family and immediately felt the sting of regret. “We’ll get to it eventually,” I had always told myself…but eventually never came. Again, I had taken life for granted. Again I resolved that I was taking a yearly family photo, even if I had to drag my kids and husband kicking and screaming.
Then, a good friend of mine passed away suddenly. He was a fellow musician that I played music with at the local Hub City Brewery in Belen. We had started a band, and were planning on taking on gigs. Then COVID-19 hit and he passed away before we could ever get back to playing together. That loss really stung, but it showed me once again that life is unpredictable and not to be taken for granted.
Life can be so busy that it becomes easy to put things off for later. We back out of going to the annual family reunion thinking “there’s always next year,” or we only have photos done for our kids and not of ourselves because we want to lose ten pounds first, or we think we’ll get to it later. But we never do. We just keep putting it off, again and again, until suddenly ten, twenty, thirty years have passed and we don’t have a single photo of ourselves or our family together to give to our loved ones.
I guess what I’m saying is,
No, you’re family photos can’t wait. Tomorrow isn’t promised, and our families deserve to have photographs of us when the time comes that we can’t be with them. The only photographs you’ll ever regret are the ones you don’t take.
In case, you’re wondering, I did finally get my family portrait. I hope you’ll get yours, too!
The Chavez Family, December 2020
Hi, I’m Cheyenne/
I’m a homeschooling mom, gardening enthusiast, animal lover, and portrait photography located in the small town of Belen, New Mexico. I proudly serve the families of the greater Albuquerque Metro area and create beautiful, unique, and timeless portraits for families, children, and pets.
If you and your family love having fun and showing up as your uniquely awesome selves, then I think we are going to get along great. I can help you create memorable portraits that stand out from the rest, and that you will treasure as the days turn to years and the years turn to decades. Contact me to find out more about how you can have the photo session of your dreams!
