The Importance of Photography in Our Lives

We have always wanted to reproduce the world around us, beginning with cave drawings to painting on canvas and eventually leading to the invention of photography. Now everyone has a camera, whether it’s simply the one on your phone, a point-and-shoot or a digital SLR. We have all these tools to capture moments in our lives and the people who are a part of it. And boy do we use them! Ask any new a parent how many files they have on their computer of their baby. Do you have any young friends on Facebook? They seem to post every photo that comes off their memory cards so I almost feel like I was there.

So is there still a place for professional portrait photography in our personal lives? I believe so. We hire a professional (I hope!) to capture our wedding day but for some, the birth of a child is an even more memorable occasion. It definitely is the most life changing. Even the parents who rushed out to buy a brand new camera before baby’s arrival will appreciate a professional capturing all the sweetness and beauty not only of their newborn but of them as new parents. It’s hard to be in a portrait if you are the one taking it! And I know I cherish the images of me with my parents when I was young.

And now, as I remember my mother-in-law who passed away just over a year ago, I realize just how important all the pictures we have of her are – especially those with my son who was only 15 months-old at the time and probably won’t remember her. The photo above was taken just a few months before her passing. When he is older, I have no doubt he will see just how much she loved him when he looks at those images even if the memory of those moments are gone.

Portraits are links to the people we love most in our lives and honouring them by allowing a professional to create artwork to display in your home or in an album ensures that you never forget who they were at various stages in their lives. In my opinion, you can’t place a value on what that’s worth.

Your Ottawa Portrait Photographer,

Vanessa