You may think that only people who are important, or famous, or wealthy have portraits made of themselves or their families. You may think that you aren't a good subject for portraiture, or that people will think you are egotistical if you were to have your portrait made. Let me assure you that people of every status in life have and enjoy portraits of themselves and their families. And that every person is a good subject for a portrait! And if someone should think poorly of you because you have a portrait of yourself, well, that's his or her problem! Now, if you have every wall of your home covered with larger-than-life photographs of yourself, well, maybe your ego is a little inflated...That's a subject for a different kind of book. It is true that wealthy, famous and important people have portraits made of themselves and their families. You may not consider yourself to be wealthy or famous, and that's fine. Most of us aren't. But you certainly are important! You are important to your family and friends, and you are most definitely important to you! But let's consider your family, progeny and society in general for a moment. You are important to your family no matter what part you play in the family dynamic. If you are an unmarried child, you are no doubt very dear to your mother and father. If you are a husband or wife, you are very important to your spouse. And if you are a parent, your children depend on you. You are a very important person within your family and circle of friends. For that reason alone you should have a nice portrait made of yourself. I can't help thinking about how valuable a fine family portrait is to children and grandchildren, and further down the line.
Without the existence of any portraits, in time the memory of what you looked like, how you acted and the experiences you shared with your children and grandchildren will fade to nothing. That would be a sad loss. I know for myself that I can now only wish that my parents had the forethought to have a nice family portrait made. It's really a tragedy especially in that photography has been my passion ever since junior high school, and not even I thought to make a portrait of my family. As a young person it is common to be rather self-absorbed and not think about mortality and such eventualities. Even though at a very young age I witnessed my grandfather die of a heart attack, I never thought my dad or mom or brothers or sisters would die. It's just not something that I gave any thought to. Then when my dad did die, I was in my 30s, and that was the first time I realized that there were no portraits of my parents and siblings in existence! And now there could never be any. That was a sad realization, and one that I think about every day. It is actually the reason I decided to specialize in family portraiture. Yes I wish I had a portrait of my family when I was growing up, but not only for myself. You see, my children and grandchildren will never know what my family looked like when my siblings and I lived at home with my parents. There won't even be a memory of my grandparents for my grandchildren. There is no historical connection. So it is important to have at least one nice family portrait created for each and every family. It is especially important for your family's heritage, but it's also important to society in general. How so? It is much the same as in the paintings we all enjoy of times in the past. A good deal of the famous paintings from early history through the renaissance, impressionism, post modern and down to current times have been portraits of the artist's families and friends, and they give us a record of what the times were like. They are a record of human history. So it is with the portraits of today's generations. In the future they will tell of the lifestyle and times that we live in now. Having been in the business of making portraits for a good while, I've noticed that men in general aren't all that keen on having their photograph made. It seems to be thought of as not a "manly" thing to do. Regardless of that notion, it is a thoughtful thing to do, especially as in a family portrait. We've talked about the value to family in an historical sense, but I've learned something from experts in the field of family counseling and psychology about this as well. When a family has a family portrait made, and displays it in their home in a prominent place, it helps the children to cultivate a deep sense of belonging, and self esteem. Young children are often the subjects of discipline, which sometimes includes isolation, as in being sent to their room, or being made to sit in a corner. This is to teach them to be considerate of others, or to not be so loud or speak out of turn and interrupt others. That kind of isolation in discipline can cause some young ones to imagine they aren't wanted. So, having a family portrait prominently displayed in the home counters any negative effects of that type of discipline, and reinforces their sense of belonging and being an integral part of the family. You might say, "My family has never had portraits made, and we're fine. We just aren't picture people!" If that's true, I say to you, Break The Mold! Start a new tradition for your family. It will be appreciated and you'll be glad you did! It's a gift to future generations, and it's a good thing for your family now.
Other than family portraits, there are numerous reasons to have a portrait made of yourself. For example, including a nice portrait along with your resume when applying for a job is an excellent way to make a great first impression. And there's no second chance for making a first impression! I get a lot of people coming to me to create a portrait for their business card, or website, or public relations and press releases. That's a smart thing to do! In many cases your image on a website will be the first impression your customer gets of you, and you definitely want it to be a good one. A good portrait will present you in the most flattering way, and again, first impressions are the most lasting ones. For business cards it's important if you include a photograph of yourself that it be one that will convey to your client or prospect that you are someone they want to do business with. Your business card, or website is your representative in your absence. You want any image of you that your prospective customer sees to be one that is complimentary and gives the impression that you are the kind of person they can trust to work for their best interest. The same is true for any image you use in press releases, public relations, or anything business related. These days social networks like Facebook and others are being used actively for business as well as for keeping in touch with friends. It's always a good idea to put your best face forward, and a good portrait will help in a big way! You might say, "I don't have any family, and in my business I don't have to deal with people in person, and they don't need to know what I look like". I can't really imagine a business that doesn't need to interact with people in some way, but let's say there is some such business. I know that there are some people who really do not have any living relatives, and that's too bad. But what about the future? Is it possible that a person in that situation might some day get married and have children? Of course! And it's just a good, thoughtful thing to do to have a nice portrait made for whoever might be in your future...
About the author: Stan P. Cox II runs a Portrait and Commercial photography studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has been a professional Hawaii photographer specializing in portraiture for over 30 years. His web address is: http://www.paramountphotography.com/ This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
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