Judy Weiser is Vancouver-based art therapist, psychologist, and author who has, for more than 20 years, assisted her clients' treatments using many kinds of personal photography. A leader in these techniques, which are called "photo therapy," Weiser states:
“It lets children learn who they are and where they fit. They learn their genealogy and the the uniqueness of their own family and its story. When a child sees a family portrait with them included in the photograph they say to themselves: ‘These people have me as part of what they are, that’s why I belong here. This is where I come from.'”
In summary, in some ways, your family portraits aren't for you. Instead, they're for your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren and beyond. Your family portraits - with you in them - are your legacy.
Why Digital Images Aren't Good Enough
About digital images vs. printed wall portraits, Kraus says,
“My bias is very simple. I think they [the family portraits] should be on the wall... I think placing a family photo someplace in the home where the child can see it every day without having to turn on a device or click around on a computer to find it really hits home for that child this sense of reassurance and comfort. They have a certainty about them and a protecting quality that nurtures a child. It let’s them know where they are in the pecking order and that they are loved and cared for."
Cathy Lander-Goldberg is the director of Photo Explorations in Missouri and a licensed clinical social worker. Photo Explorations helps girls and women to use photography and other expressive arts to gain self-awareness. According to Lander-Goldberg,
"Displaying photos prominently in the home sends the message that our family and those in it are important to one another, and we honor the memories we have experienced."
Your intention might to be to purchase the digital files from your professional family photographer and to print them on your own. But so many of our clients have told me that that was their intention following their last professional family photography session, but that their busy lives got the best of them, and they never printed a single photograph. For others, the decisions about print size, print media, custom framing or frameless mounts, and placement can be overwhelming. When people aren't sure what will look best, they tend to do nothing. There's a lot to be said about using a professional family photographer who provides design services and finished, ready-to-hang wall portraits.