As New Jersey Portrait Photographer, I noticed that many potential customers don’t say photos anymore but say images. We are bombarded with images every day, advertisers say we see about 100 images a day. Those pictures are not just images, they are messages to us. They make us think about an idea or get our attention for three seconds or making us want to purchase something or give us a good reminder of the product. So it is understandable when regular folks decide that they want some new updated images of themselves or of the family or what I would like to call a “portraits” from a professional photographer.
Photography business changed so dramatically. I used to work at the studio in Metuchen that is in business since 50’s it was the only studio in town, this studio did all photos schools and all weddings and big events like bar/bat mitzvahs and also all portraits of every local family in that town. The portraits were done by the same photographer over decades. Some clients would stop by and told me how they used to come to this studio when they were little children and the same photographer would take their pictures for yearbooks.
I have some clients that I have been photographing over the years, from the birth of their children and then their confirmations in church and birthday parties. I just wish sometimes this new idea about photography would change. I wish customers weren’t so in a rush to get things and look at their photo session as a little memory that they can laugh about or talk about. Crazy things sometimes happen during our family sessions. Something to think about, some moments can be even better sweet because none of us know how long we will all live on this earth.
So when you decide to do a photo session, don’t think about it as a quick visual ad in your magazine but as a time capsule for your future. So your grandkids could see how beautiful and young you were. I just wrote this to one of my potential customers: I could help you fall in love with great photos, good quality products and just appreciation for a great service. Its investment into your future, these products will be given and shared throughout your future generations. It is time to start a tradition again! Portraits allow us to acknowledge every member of our family. If the photo is missing of a family member so are the stories about this individual.
