In my professional opinion, a location should be more than a beautiful background; it should also add another layer of depth, as a place where precious memories were made.
Imagine the years have passed, you have chosen to move out of the family home and downsize. The walls in your new condo are bare, but there isn’t as much room as in your previous home. You have two family portraits: one in front of a studio backdrop and one on the rustic deck at the family cabin, where generations of family and friends gathered to toast warm summer evenings. Which image has more value?
Now imagine the park where you pushed your children on swings, rode your bikes, and had countless campfires. This was that special place where you had to bribe them with ice cream just to get them back in the car. A portrait created in this environment has far greater lasting value than one taken against a backdrop that merely depicts what you all looked like.
When I was a child, my parents hired a travelling photographer who photographed us in our trendy purple living room. The images were fantastic; they still evoke warm emotions of a childhood long past.
Yes, I do studio work, and it has advantages, but I always prefer location work when it comes down to creating family portraits. I have travelled to cabins and shot multi-generational images. I have photographed families in their homes, on their decks, in parks and on country roads. In each of the latter images, I feel I have captured the heartbeat of a family or individual and a galaxy of emotions.
Family heirlooms have sentiment, meaning, depth and connection. A truly great portrait will one day be a treasured heirloom.
