When I held my contest on Instagram last week and asked everyone to tell me why family photos were important to them I was blown away by the response. I just loved seeing everyone’s responses and it was such a good reminder of why I do this.

I noticed 3 common themes in the responses: time is fleeting and the kids grow up way too fast, Moms want to not only have photos of their kids but BE in the photos as well, and people valuing family photos because of loved ones that have passed.

I also noticed a lot of people saying they were due for new family photos, they’ve put it off or haven’t scheduled any in a long time. It’s funny we do this isn’t it? We can all agree how much we love family photos and value them and yet sometimes it gets put to the bottom of the list. I’m guilty of this too some years! I know it’s an investment but it is one you will value the rest of your life. I can’t imagine when you’re sitting in your rocker you will look at your family photos and wish you hadn’t taken them. As photographers we call it an investment because they truly only increase in value as time goes by.

Below are some of my favourite responses to Why Family Photos are Important.

• Family photos are so loved by me because they’re moments in time saved forever – the best gift and the most important reminder of how time goes by too fast.
• Family photos are so important to me because I don’t have any of my childhood growing up and I want my kids to have these memories. Plus, I’m old and I forget things now!!
• Proof of life photos for mom!! Also, Virginia makes everyone look amazing.
• Family photos are so important so I can finally get some memories of myself captured instead of being on the other end of the camera!
• Family photos are important because it’s a chance for me to actually be in them (…and not taking the photo) and to capture those moments of surprise and character that you experience as the kids grow up but never get a chance to fully capture.
• Like everything else in life this needs to be a priority and sadly it has not been…Capturing a moment of time with our most precious people is on our list this year. We have loved seeing the natural beauty of your work on other families.
• So I can look at them when they make me crazy to remember just how beautiful they are sometimes lol.

• Family photos are my fave, because husbands are really bad at taking pictures.
• To capture memories and be able to look back on how our family has grown over the years. And so I can have a few photos with the kids while looking my best haha.
• Family photos became so important to me when I saw how few photos we had of dad. I want to leave my children with captures of those special memories.
• Family pictures capture your family just as they are and crystallizes a moment in time of what we looked like, what we were going through. An important gift for future generations to see as well.
• I love hanging family photos throughout the house. So proud of my little family.
• So that I can be in the photos…hah! Proof of Mom 🙂
• Because family photos help me to mark the passage of time, and we so rarely get photos of the whole family otherwise!
• Family photos are so important to capture the people and the exact time you are at in your lives. Life happens and I am to this day so grateful to have such beautiful photos of my mom to look back upon because of you.
• Treasuring the smiles of the little people they used to be. And remembering the faces that we no longer have around. So special.
• Moments to memories. I love having family photos to see how our small family changes over time. Seeing our daughter and dog’s growth, how we are as a couple year after year, and just capture lovely memories that we’ll look back over the years.
• Family photos are important to me because I love to make photo albums of every year to flip through and remember that moment in time. They are also a keepsake for the next generation.
• Family photos are so important because I’m always behind the camera and I want photos WITH my kids.

Why are family photos important to YOU? Is this something you will add to your list of to-do’s this year? To see more of my Family Photo Session work please see HERE.