This is a question that can be taken in two different ways:

Why hire a family photographer when you could take the photographs yourself?
What is the point of family photographs at all (after all my parents sadly never bothered)

I’ll tackle both issues and explain all the benefits of having family photographs and why you should hire a professional if you can.

The benefits and purpose of family photographs

Family photographs benefit both the parents and the children.

Professor Geoff Beattie, Head of School and Dean of Psychological Sciences at the University of Manchester, says that

“Photography in the home makes children feel valued and gives them a rich understanding of where they come from. Children whose parents display family photographs in the home grow up with greater confidence and sense of belonging than those who don’t. By displaying photographs of our children at different stages of their lives, we are making a very public statement that we are proud of them.”

The benefits of family photographs are just as great for parents. Every year children change and they’ll never be the same again. Ever. It’s seems obvious, but when you look at your child and realise that in two years time the person you’re looking at will be completely different it’s quite a shocking thought. Having photographs of your children helps you freeze each special time in their lives. Each time you look at the photographs you can relive those happy memories.

That’s why I always recommend investing in wall portraits and displaying them somewhere they’ll be seen all the time.

You can be in the photos

A lot of the mums who hire me (I don’t know why it’s always the mums!) tell me that they’re never in any of their own family photographs because they’re always behind the camera. Children want to see their parents in the photographs with them. You want to see the love and connection between the whole family. It may not feel like it sometimes, but your children look up to you and think you’re beautiful, and perfect.

When you see a photograph of yourself you grow to love it more and more over time. The reason many people don’t like photographs of themselves initially is because it’s not how they’re used to seeing themselves. We only ever see our faces in a mirror, but a photograph shows your face how everyone else sees it.

It looks strange at first, but over time your brain adjusts and you get used to it. And you start to see and appreciate yourself as your family does. When you family looks at a photograph of you they don’t just see what you look like, they see your spirit, personality, strength and love.

Kids listen to strangers

Clients often tell me that their children are impossible to photograph.

“They don’t sit still”

“They pull fake smiles”

“They sulk”

Conversely I have a 100% record of getting great photographs for every client. If my wife and I had children I bet I’d have more trouble photographing them.

I always tell parents not to give their children and instructions during the photoshoot. I want the children to feel like it’s just a family play time and that they’re the boss. As soon as parents start ordering children to do things they quickly get upset. However, as a stranger I can get most children to do what I’d like. And I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help me achieve that…

I have lots of tricks to get smiles and natural expressions

I don’t just say cheese! I regularly roll in mud and puddles to get children to laugh and start to like and trust me. I pretend to trip over or walk into a branch - whatever humiliating technique it takes to get the photographs I need.

But it’s not all about laughter and slapstick, I also have techniques, strategies and special questions I ask to encourage natural interaction between your family. So when you look at the photographs you’ll see the genuine love and connection and personalities you all have.

Your photographs shouldn’t just sit on a phone or Facebook

We’ve already established that photographs shouldn’t be hidden away. A full service professional family photographer like me will provide professional printing and framing options, as well as albums and folio boxes.

Digital files corrupt and get lost

It’s not a question of if a USB or hard drive corrupts, its when! Plus, technology changes and digital photographs get lost in the chaos of life. Wall portraits and albums are permanent, treasured heirlooms that will last a lifetime and beyond.

Retouching - The photographer’s pixie dust!

Professional family photographers know how to use retouching software to make the colour and clarity of the photographs really pop. Photographs straight out of a camera can have various issues. Skin can have a sickly colour-cast, colours can look drab, eyes can lack sparkle, hair can look dishevelled etc. I lovingly enhance your photographs so each one is perfect and and shows your family at its very best.

Professional printing and products

If you get a photograph printed in the high street the colours will be grungy, the clarity will be poor and the it will fade quickly.

My professional fine-art prints will have crystal clear sharpness, luminous colour and they will hold their quality for a generation. My frames have non-reflective glass and my canvases are guaranteed not to warp peel.

My supplier only serves professional photographers so you won’t be able to find this level of quality on the high street.

Smartphone cameras aren’t great for printing

Without boring you with techie details camera phones just aren’t good enough for printing at decent sizes for the wall. The sensors are too small (forget about the megapixels) and the wonderful screens trick you into thinking the photograph is clearer and more vibrant than it is.

Professional equipment

Kids can move pretty fast and very erratically so you need a camera that keeps up. Smartphones aren’t up to the job. I can quickly lock on and track a rampaging child from 50 yards! I can also use flash if we need to battle harsh sunlight, or if we’re inside and its gloomy.

Professionals know how to use the equipment

A smartphone struggles inside in a gloomy room so you’ll either get very grainy or blurred photographs.

Outside when it’s sunny you’ll find everyone is squinting. So, you put everyone under the shade of a tree and now everyone is silhouetted against the bright sunlight behind them. Aaaghh, what to do!? Pros know how to control light, create beautiful compositions, tweak camera settings, get great expressions and keep up with sugar fuelled children all within a split second.

My strapline is ‘No child is too bonkers or too shy, I will not be defeated!”

So, have I missed a reason for hiring a family photographer? Let me know in the comments.

If you’d like to test me out then read all about my service here.