For years I’ve preached the importance of portraits, any kind of portraits, hanging on the walls of your homes. I’ve explained how it boosts confidence and speaks volumes of the love and memories you share with your family. They affect self-esteem and create an insurmountable value that only increases over time, unlike a car or a cell phone that depreciates the moment you purchase them.
I can confirm the above because I’ve lived it.
I never had portraits made growing up. What pictures were made were made for ads in programs and yearbooks. We never had portraits hanging on walls. We never had experiences captured in immortalized printed photographs. Even my tux portraits my senior year of high school; I paid for those. I ordered those. I had waited so long for those portraits to be made so I could have a 16x20 Wall Portrait hanging on my dad’s wall or my grandparents’ walls. But they didn’t.
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“Shame on them.”
Not really. I’ve noticed a trend down south. The further south you go, the less value is placed on the work that we photographers do. That’s the easiest way to explain it. In a phone call the other day with a photographer in Mississippi, when I told him that, his exact words were, “You know what, you’re exactly right!” There’s nothing wrong with that mindset because, let’s face it, everyone has the right to value what they want to value. It’s just interesting that, here in the south, it’s nonexistent in art and photography.
So I graduated high school without the portrait I had wanted for so long, despite that, to this day, it’s my favorite portrait of my young self (I had hair!). The good news is that I own those portraits, along with the rest of my classmates from Excel High School, so I get to do whatever I want to with them now.
I’ve struggled with my own confidence, my self-esteem, and the value I place in myself my entire life. I will save the details of 2015 for another time but it got pretty bad. Every day is a struggle to find something to celebrate about myself. This may sound odd to some of you but those of you who have struggled with the exact same feelings can relate easily.
One way I’ve combatted these self-loathing thoughts is to make my own self portraits every month. Once a month I head into the studio or into my yard, set up the tripod, hook up the remote, and get to work. This doesn’t always work out. Sometimes I have to use my phone as a remote on my camera because my phone streams the live view (love the Z series from Nikon). I don’t have anyone directing me or posing me except for myself, so it’s a real trial and error situation. Sometimes I get behind the computer and import these images and I hate every single one of them. I’ve never had a client do that.
Of the images that I like, I’ve printed one. It’s hanging in my house. Weird, I know.
“You hung a picture of yourself in your own house?”
Yes. I did. My dog is also prominently displayed in my living room.
The portrait that I hung has me in my best attire with my degree medallions, a symbol of the accomplishments I’ve made in my career. I didn’t want to the portrait because I think highly of myself – for those that know me, you know what I’m talking about. I hung it because it’s a daily reminder (from my bedroom to the office) of what I CAN do, what I HAVE done, and what I still have yet to do. It’s a motivation and a constant reminder that I can do whatever I set my mind to. What do I mean? Aren’t there other Masters out there?
Yes. But my journey was very, very fast. Like lightning.
I received my Master of Photography in three years. I received my Master Artist in three years (arguably the most difficult). I received my Photographic Craftsman in under a year (starting with 0 merit points). All three of these achievements are incredibly challenging to do in four to five years. I did it in the minimum.
So yes. This portrait is a celebration of that achievement.
Easter weekend this year, my dad and step-mom gathered the family together to celebrate Easter at my dad’s. My step-mom started planning this a month ago and when the group text went out (if your family doesn’t have a group text, I highly recommend it. Lots of inappropriate laughter) I immediately jumped in with this:
“We’re doing family portraits. Blue shirts/dresses, jeans, no hats.”
We’ve tried this before with no success so I didn’t have too high of hopes. But as the date go closer, my excitement started building.
The week of my appointment, I was in planning mode and ready to get it going, making my list of what to capture and how. No one was responding “can’t.”
I’ve spent ten years photographing families, children, and high school seniors, preaching the value of their portraits as loud as possible while I sit at home with empty walls and nothing to show for what I value in my own life. That changed March 30th, 2024.
It wasn’t exactly what I wanted but it was close enough. We had to work in direct sunlight with pine trees…PINE TREES! But we have them. Forever.
This morning, as I was drinking my strong-brewed coffee, I ordered my gift prints and my 40x20 Wall Portrait. I wanted to get a 60x30 Canvas but I’m saving it for the next one, which will be in a very beautiful location that I’m not ready to share yet.
We made memories and we had fun doing it. Sure, my feet blistered from the constant running back and forth with my remote to check the back of the camera and yes, I did indeed get a crick in my neck that night, but it was totally worth it. Temporary pain for immortal memories. I’ll make that trade any day.
The only issue I had was color or black and white. I let my photographer friends make that decision for me because, for the first time in my career, I’M the client. I needed guidance and they provided that.
Let’s embark on your journey through portraits. Let’s build each other up and create a positive, self-love atmosphere with memories that will stand the test of time.
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