Back to Basics

 “I sustain myself with the love of family.”

– Maya Angelou

One Thousand Dollars.

That's what I paid a private tech company in 2012 to restore an external hard drive that had just crashed.

One Thousand Dollars.  There was no hesitation.

Now I know what you are thinking....Say What?!  A thousand dollars for some data?

It wasn't just any data.  

It was the first eight years of my youngest son's existence in digital photographs. 

Can you imagine that conversation, years later?

Or the field day his two older brothers would have had teasing him about his standing in the family, as they flipped through their hardcopy photo albums (remember those?!)

I grew up in a household that valued photography.

No one in my family had any technical skills, but if you were to walk into my parents' house today, you would see the progression of my childhood and early military service laid out in photos in frames on every surface and hallway.

If you walked into my house today, you'd see the same thing with my own family, as well as one entire room dedicated to the legacies of several Veterans.

As a professional photographer, I was recently intrigued to learn there were studies done that suggest a child's self-esteem is improved when family photography is displayed in the home.  It is said that these photographs help children understand where they fit in their world and convey the love needed for their self-confidence.

Next month, when I open my photography studio in Old Town, Alexandria, VA (218 N. Lee St), one of my goals is to encourage my clients to go back to the basics, so to speak.  Print those digitals!

So in preparation, I personally made a point of participating in my own family portrait this year, since my spouse and I aren't typically featured with the three main attractions.  After all, I can't expect my clients to see the value, if I don't believe in it myself!

Let's get those digital images on the wall or in an album/book!  Let's invest in tangible art that tells your story for years to come and celebrates your heritage.  

After I mounted the new canvas family picture at the end of our main hallway, the 17 year old (middle son) walked up to it and said, "I love it!"

What more can you ask for?!

Laura Hatcher displays her family portraits printed on canvas

Laura Hatcher is a retired Naval Officer, Mother, Harley Rider and Published Professional Photographer located in Northern Virginia.

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