The perfect time is now!

The other day I was talking with a friend who recently lost her father and the conversation lead to the importance in her life of family photos and the fact that as each year passes she finds they become so much more priceless. Sadly there comes a time in our lives that all we have left of the ones we love so dearly are photographs. During our conversation she admitted, that for some, the cost of professional photos is hard to swallow, but looking back on all her photos that she so proudly displays throughout her home, she knows now they have become an investment in the story of her family life. A real family treasure. We have become a society that is not so hesitant to spend money on ridiculous things and yet a lot of people still think spending money on photos is silly. Each to their own opinion, but my friend said something to me that will stay with me forever; “Of course it’s nice to have all the mod cons in life but I highly doubt that an iPad or a new car or a big screen TV will give me the same feelings, years from now, as an image of my precious family will”. Who am I to argue with that!

The conversation got me thinking... We are so busy at times parenting our children that we don’t stop to see them and grasp them in the now. As time passes, we forget so many of the little things that in later years become the big things and all we have to remind us are photos. I know I have looked back on photos and held my breath in disbelief that my children have grown so quickly, it’s no secret they change so considerably from one year to the next!

In this business we hear all too often that many people are just waiting for the perfect time to have their family photo taken. What does that even mean? Next season when it’s not so cold? When you complete your family? When you get a new hairdo? When you lose weight? The harsh reality is that the perfect time is now and it is just passing you by. You shouldn’t wait for a family tragedy or illness to trigger the right moment to take your family photos. Yes, these moments are all part of the circle of life, but they shouldn’t be the only memories you have left to remember in years to come. We should embrace the pregnant bellies, our baby’s tiny hands, their chubby cheeks and their missing teeth. This is who we are as a family now. We should be proud of this time. It is a time we will never get back.

I am not saying this to sway you one way or the other. I just want to make you aware of how sometimes all too soon family photos are all we have. Maybe you will book a professional photographer or maybe you will take the time yourself to get out your camera, and use it! Just don’t wait. One thing is for certain; you will always look back on family photos and remember. So many things about them will make you smile and everything about them you will treasure. We never know what tomorrow brings or will take from us and we are all too often filled with regret. Don’t wait because how soon not now becomes never. Just make it a priority... one way or the other.

Article written by Melinda Shiel.