In the dream, representatives from an evil, alien empire informed me that I had ten minutes to choose my ten favorite photographs to last me a lifetime. I quickly re-prioritized my approach to choosing my favorite photos.
All of a sudden, all those artsy close-ups of tree bark and chipped paint at the abandoned steel mill lost some of their appeal. Equally quickly, close-ups of people that I love—and not necessarily in the beautiful, soft light I’m always ranting about (like here)—made the top ten list. It was a no-brainer.
Honestly, I woke up with a new appreciation for what’s important in my photographic world. The best thing that photography does—the most important thing—is to record the human face. It’s so easy to take this technological and emotional miracle for granted. Photography records what people look like at a certain moment in time. Think about that for a minute.
And then apply that to your family photography. Make sure you occasionally get in close and photograph the people you love. You can use a holiday as a reminder; Mother’s Day and birthdays and weddings and first days of school are all totally adequate excuses.
Photograph the people you love with the people they love. Like their friends, their kids, their parents, or their grandparents. You really can’t go wrong here. Get in close, fill the frame with their faces, and push the button.
