When I look back on my family photo albums, my parents, and in particular my nan, were fantastic at documenting our childhood. Every major event, and in my nan's case, every non-major event! A trip to the bowling alley, action-shot nan with camera at the ready! Pool in the back garden, perfect for an impromptu photo-shoot! But there comes a time where the photos stop - I'd say photos of me between the ages of 11 and 16 are limited to major events only: Christmas, Easter and Birthdays only. And there are reasons why photos of your tweens/teens become limited in these years:
1.Privacy
We start to want more privacy around this age as we begin to explore the things that will form our personality for years to come. As photographers we respect this request for privacy, and the need for capturing everything gets put away.
2. We change what we do
When we are young we want to dress up in princess costumes, and put bras on our heads while mum is shopping in M&S, and build forts out of beach windbreaks in the garden. As we get older our interests and hobby's change and our interests begin to mature to less photogenic activities.
3. We start to feel awkward
Hormones begin to play a part and we start to feel self-doubt, comparison and generally become aware of how we look and how we feel.
So is it really that important to take photos in these years?
I cannot say whether it is or isn't worth it for you, but I can speak from experience, and I laugh when I see awkward photos of my 13yr old self, and wish I had better photographs, photographs that would have made me less conscious about my acne and braces. Some guidance on how to hold myself and how to pose my body, to not grow up comparing myself to others or feeling ashamed of minor imperfections.
Many people may think that photographs are not that powerful, but we believe they are, and no-one can deny the power of the 'oh I look great in that photo, that's a profile pic right there' feeling you get when someone takes the perfect photo of you. Just imagine the power of that for teens who may be struggling with body image and confidence.
One of my all time favourite shoots is when we got to hang out with Libbie in an outdoor Spring portrait session. It was so important to us to keep her portraits looking natural and representative of the young woman she is. A good portrait should enhance your best qualities, and not just on the outside! We like to create pictures with personality and spirit, and hope Libbie and her parents can treasure these forever.
If you or your child are looking for a confidence boosting activity where you will take home photographs to last a lifetime, then speak to us now and let's do this together!
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