My mother had a wicker suitcase, stored up high on a closet shelf, full of photographs, postcards, and newspaper clippings. On rare occasions she would bring it down, usually to add another roll of film prints to the collection. There weren’t many pictures of my mother as a child, but I loved looking at them and hearing her stories of growing up with my aunt in a small house in Bayberry, high school cheerleading, formal dances, and art classes. I saw my mother as a completely different person, with a completely different life, and I was completely enthralled.

I don’t remember posing for many pictures as a child, but like my mother, the photos are few. In the days before digital, the average person was much more conservative with photography, as film was expensive. If we had only the existing photographs to remember my childhood, it would be a montage featuring my baby sister, family pets, class pictures, birthday candles, Halloween costumes, Christmas presents, and that one time I marched in a parade.

At the time of this writing my children are now 10, 12, and 14 years old and I have tens of thousands of pictures documenting their childhood. From the mundane moments to the extraordinary accomplishments, and everything in between, they may instead be faced with the problem of “too much information”!

You see, photography has been such an important part of my life since I was a little girl. I received my first camera at the age of 13 as a birthday gift from my grandparents, and I have been taking pictures ever since. I enrolled in a photography class in high school and learned darkroom techniques. When my husband and I were married in 2004 my love for photography really blossomed and I became interested in pursuing this as a career, so I went back to college and got a certificate in digital imaging and a portfolio full of basic design projects and (mostly blurry) photographs. I didn’t have my own DSLR but I did have a college teaching job and a baby on the way, and other priorities took hold of my life.

Yet for years I was the “unofficial official” photographer for family, club and school events, celebrations, concerts, and meetings. I was the Historian of my sorority, and the Publicity chair and newsletter editor for my MOPS group. I enjoyed making photo slideshows for my MOMS club playdates, kids’ birthday parties, and the Mom's Day Out program where I worked for 6 years. During this time I even ran my own scrapbooking business for 5 years, helping people turn their photographs into meaningful “Art From the Heart”. And I have shelves full of photo albums and stamp sets in the bookcase behind me to prove it!

Over the years, I have learned that the only photos my children are able to enjoy on a daily basis are those images that were printed and placed in albums or hanging on the walls of our home. They love looking at those photos, talking about their memories and sharing stories. Much like I loved looking through my mother’s wicker suitcase.

That's why I chose to specialize in producing printed artwork for my clients. When you have a photo session with The Proof Photography, we begin with the end in mind: where will these photos be displayed in your home?

Comment below and let me know if you can relate to this story. Are there many photos of you when you were growing up? Are there many photos of your parents when they were growing up? Do you wish there were more?