Interesting families and their stories about portraits
Over the many years that I have been taking family portraits I have encountered lots of interesting families, and often their stories are quite remarkable.
One particular family I had the privilege to take portraits for had five children. While I was showing the photographs that I had recently taken for them the father started talking about the importance of photographs in his family. He touched on the history of portraits in his family as a child. He revealed how he believed that children knew that they were loved when they see their family’s portraits up on the wall. I was intrigued by this so I asked him “why he feels that way?”
Why aren’t there portraits on the wall?
He continued his story. He said that when he was a child, his father (an accomplished man who retired at the age of 40) never had photos of the children taken. He added that there were three kids in the family. I was not expecting this comment from him, being a boy and all, I thought it was unlikely that he would care about such a thing.. But in actual fact, he felt that his father did not really care about him and his sisters because there were no portraits up on the walls.
Why would a son ask his dad about his love?
At that time, other family friends had large, designer portraits on their walls. His family was one of those who didn’t. He told me that he confronted his father and asked him if he loved them. The father was shocked because of course he loved his kids! His Dad asked “Why?” The son responded “You don’t have portraits of us at home.”
I was very touched by his story because when he told me it he was already in his 40s and he honestly felt that he had been unloved because their Dad never bothered to have family portraits taken.
Show your love through portraits on the walls
This really is a touching story. It reminds me that when you have your beautiful portraits up on the wall, your children will look up and see you hugging them.
What a beautiful and remarkable story about portraits and their message of love, one that has stayed with me for years.
Talk soon,
Margherita :)
Liked this post? You can share it below.
Follow me on Facebook with the buttons up the top of this page.
Or leave a comment below!