Family portraits at Mary Jo Peckham Park, Katy--

I don't take many portraits of families with grown children. Well, I guess I do, but it's usually only after those grown children have kids of their own, and the portraits become three and four generation family portraits. I wish I could take more portraits of families like you're about to see in these portraits.

Don't get me wrong, I love taking photographs with adorable little kids. But I hate that most families think there's no need for family portraits from the time their kids are young until those same kids are grown with their own children. If that's the case, there may be a 10 or 20 year gap between family portraits, with the only exception maybe being wedding portraits. A lot can change in 10 or 20 years.

So, don't think that just because your kids aren't little kids anymore, it means you shouldn't have portraits taken. Keep up the tradition and have new portraits made every few years to document your lives and see the changes. Change is good and it should be captured.

And without trying to be too much of a downer, tomorrow isn't guaranteed for anyone. I've heard too many stories from photographers who made family portraits, only to find out that one of the family members (babies to grown men) passed away not long after the family portraits. Those portraits were the last beautiful images the loved ones had to cherish.

Take the time to capture your lives as they are today...not just when there's a monumental change, such as a wedding or new member of the family. Today is important too!

Back to the Nation family. I had the privilege of making portraits for this family recently at Mary Jo Peckham Park in Katy. The family found me through purchasing a session I'd donated to a local silent auction. So not only did I get to photograph a super nice family, but I know that the session benefited a greater cause too!

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