When is the Right Time for a Portrait?

Sands of TimeMany individuals procrastinate having a professional portrait made because they are waiting for the perfect time. It seems like that time is never now. It is always in the distant future. Often there truly are circumstances that make the thought of waiting a logical decision. Sometimes we are simply making invalid excuses.

Parents enlarging their family often want to wait until the last child is born, or is a little older. An overweight person wants to delay until getting into shape. Sometimes a sickness is a real obstacle. Another person wants to wait until getting tanned. As our bodies change with age and wrinkles begin to show, we begin to want to avoid being photographed altogether.

The reality is that if you or I do not choose to have a professional portrait made of ourselves or our families, no one else will. We place ourselves at the mercy of the school photographer or the amateur snapshots made by our friends. We can fall into a pattern of thinking these snapshots are good enough while years pass by unknowingly.

A Fateful Tragedy

Years ago when we were deciding whether or not to start a business, we experienced and unexpected crisis that moved us off of the fence. A young child of friends of ours suddenly fell sick and died a few days later. Everyone was in shock and heartbroken for the family’s loss of such a sweet child. After some time, the mother brought me a bunch of snapshots of the child and asked me if I could make them look better because they were the most recent images she had of her parted loved one. The mother had professional portraits made when the child was younger but she went on to confess she felt guilty for not having had a more recent professional portrait made.

Mother and daughter snapshotAs I worked on retouching those snapshots, I realized how special each life is . . . and how I take for granted that my family and friends will continue to be there tomorrow . . . forever. I felt terrible for this good and godly mother who suffered from the true loss of her child, but also from a nagging guilt for failing to have a current professional portrait made. I did my best to make each of those images look better, hoping they might bring some comfort and healing to this hurting woman and her family. My wife and I determined then that we would start a business and make Portrait Photography and Retouching a major part of it. We wanted to provide people with the opportunity and means to have timeless portraits made of their loved ones that would be valued far into the future.

A Timely Decision

Life is busy for most people in our culture. For most of us, life is good, and God is truly good to us. Sometimes some of the hardest things for us to do is to “slow down” or “stop and smell the roses” or to take the time to plan for a professional portrait. Every person and family has their own unique set of circumstances that affect the timing of professional portraits. If you are wondering when the best time is going to be for you, or your family, the answer might surprise you. It might be now! Call to discuss the possibilities today and let’s set up an appointment!!

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