It was 2am. Everyone else in the house was asleep while I sat in the living room nursing my 4 week old baby. I opened my laptop and turned on a training video I had started watching earlier in the day. I was only half listening since it was the middle of the night and I was exhausted, but something the instructor said made me sit up and take notice. She posted this image and said

“Out of all the portraits you could make, this will be the most valuable portrait this girl will ever own.”

Wow! I listened to the instructor’s words over again as tears filled my eyes. Maybe it was the new baby hormones or lack of sleep, but something inside me started to ache as I looked at this image. It made me think about the power a single portrait can have and the emotions that come with freezing a moment in time.

I thought about my own mom and the last time we had our picture taken together. Then I started thinking about my own daughters. We recently had a photoshoot for my youngest daughter’s newborn portraits and I made sure that we not only captured the cute newborn details, but that we also captured our new family together.

When I look at these images I see so much more than a cute pose. I see memories that my daughters and I can look back on for years to come. If (God forbid) something were to happen to myself or one of my girls these are the memories I want us to remember.

Ask yourself this question:

“If your house is on fire and you only had a few minutes to grab your most valuable possessions, what would you grab?”

The most common response you will hear is “photo albums” or “family heirlooms”. Forget the designer purses, fancy shoes and expensive home decor. They are all replaceable, but the memories contained in those albums and photos way more valuable than any item you can buy at any store.

So why do we spend more money on what we wear than on our memories?

Portraits are powerful memories and well worth the investment so the next time you roll your eyes at your photographer’s prices, take a moment to consider what you are really rolling your eyes at….are the lost memories worth it?

 

 

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*Kendra Swalls is the photographer behind Paisley Layne Photography, and is a boutique portrait and wedding photographer in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. She specializes in, beauty, senior and boudoir portraits as well as wedding photography. Kendra’s style is fun and personality-driven while still retaining the timeless features of photography that create family heirlooms. She currently lives in Justin,TX  with her family: a husband that has a massive sweet tooth, a four year old daughter loves being a big sister and a 6 week old daughter that is the best snuggler in the world.  Kendra is currently booking 2016 & 2017 Portrait Sessions and Weddings in Dallas, Ft. Worth, Denton, Flower Mound, Southlake, Keller, Lewisville, Argyle and all of the North Texas area