| e years fly by the desire to capture life before it | | | | find the photographer who could best captured what |
| changes gets more urgent. Initially when you have a | | | | I wanted to portray in our up to date family portrait. |
| baby, time seems to stand still. Then, if you are | | | | The photographer I chose turned out to be |
| lucky, number two makes his or her entrance, and | | | | Hertfordshire base. This photographer had actually |
| you are caught up in a whirl wind of children’s | | | | taken a baby portrait of my daughter for her first |
| parties, childhood illness and the general young family | | | | birthday. She’d just started walking, I |
| baggage. You get the family photography done and | | | | remember propping her up against a sofa and |
| distributed to the grandparents. Then with, in | | | | scurrying out of the shot, full of anxiety that she |
| retrospect, no warning, the little demanding bundles | | | | might fall over. Anyway, the modern style and |
| of joy turn five. School and all its’ | | | | professionalism demonstrated then was still evident |
| accompanying challenges takes them over and starts | | | | to this day and so I decided to use the same |
| the inevitable progression towards their ultimate | | | | photographer again. |
| independence from you and the core family unit. | | | | The family photography both mothers’ had |
| Then transition is accompanied by an amazing change | | | | been complaining about was never a great success. |
| in timescales. From this point on time appears to go | | | | I’d made use of a special offer to use the |
| into fast forward. The family portrait you carefully | | | | school photographer for the family photograph and it |
| organized and budgeted for still proudly adorns both | | | | was alright, but nothing special! I was determined to |
| grand parents’ mantel pieces. But now when | | | | be more careful this time and do my homework. |
| you look at the family photography you go into | | | | With the growth of digital photography and display of |
| denial. As a cruel reverse to the fictional character | | | | photographic work online, the research process |
| ‘Dorian Gray’ the images in family | | | | proved to be easy. Well designed studio photography |
| photograph never change but the family members | | | | websites have samples of their family photography |
| do. Sadly time is not so kind to the grown ups, | | | | for the customer to parse at their leisure. They also |
| whereas the children are blossoming into a handsome, | | | | give the potential customer the ability to get a good |
| large, young man and beautiful blonde young woman, | | | | idea of pricing not just of the initial sitting, but most |
| mum and dad are moving more of less resignedly | | | | importantly, how much the actual finished family |
| into middle age! In the family photograph you remain | | | | photograph will cost. |
| for ever 30 something, if only you could capture your | | | | Having made all these calculations, I still settled for |
| bodies aging process so permanently. | | | | the Hertfordshire based family photographer that |
| After the hundredth subtle comment regarding the | | | | I’d used to photograph my daughter. The |
| family photograph and it’s disparity from | | | | final result the new family photograph, now has pride |
| actuality, my mother in law breaks and asks out right, | | | | of place on both grandma’s mantles’, |
| would I get a new family portrait done, please! Ok a | | | | along side the initial family photograph. It rather begs |
| new family photograph it must be. I then looked | | | | the question, how many more family photographs will |
| around locally, Hertfordshire, and via the internet to | | | | these mantles bear? |