Family Value | Suzanne Taylor Photography Red Deer Alberta

When people hire Suzanne Taylor Photography to take family images, I always feel honoured to be the photographer they chose.  There is no confusion that exists about the over flooding of the photography market right now.  The major domestic camera companies Nikon (which I shoot with), Canon, and Sony have made DSLR’s very affordable and very easy to use and I would say that one out of every 2-3 friends I have own a DSLR by one of these large companies and really love to take images with them.  It is how I started in photography and I certainly do not regret taking that plunge and starting to shoot.  I started like many people do and took a LOT of images of my cats, dogs, trees, bushes, more trees…it was the subject matter that I was able to use while working as a Social Worker in Athabasca, Alberta with the Alberta Government.  I didn’t have children yet and they were all I had time to go out and photograph.  I dabbled in different ideas but just kept practicing.  Am I glad that I got that first DSLR – YES.  It was life changing for me in many ways because I stuck to it, have been practicing and getting better for 9 years now and have been running a business for many of those years.

What makes my photographic history different though from the THOUSANDS of other photographers who share my story?  I started off no different from the people who fill Kijiji up with the offer of ‘cheap’ photography and who flood Facebook with the offer of a full family session with 50 images on a disk for $100.00?

I would like to think that the reason I have created such an amazing customer base is that we have created a mutual respect for each other – my customers appreciate and love the work I create for them and I in turn spend many hours appreciating the art that I am creating for them to enjoy.  The First Blush Photography business model was never to offer basic photography that is disposable because here is the thing – when you quickly purchase something basic you will VALUE IT LESS.  Think of all the non-food purchases you make in a week that costs under $5.00.  Name me 5 of them – right now.  Can you do it?  Probably not – simply because their purpose has been filled and you have moved along.  Photography is no different in this day and age and the landscape has changed dramatically in the past 10 years when digital cameras really started picking up speed in the consumer industry.  A lot of our public is not educated what good photography looks like and what it costs and they end up looking for more affordable options to have their image taken of them for a Christmas Card.  If I wanted to hire someone for $25 (as I just had someone show up at my door last week offering to take my pictures for that amount with a tripod) I can.  We can go have that done, the image will fill the purpose and I would personally probably never look at them again.  Time to move along…sound familiar?

Go back now to my shopping example – tell me one thing you have spent over $500 on in the last year.  That is probably pretty easy because when you pay more for something you will automatically value it more – regardless of whether it was a car, a furnace, equipment or art.

I challenge you to go to any art store and take a look at the cost of finished work – meaning that it has an image, a matte and a frame or the image is on a ready to hang gallery canvas.  Most of the time your looking at a minimum of $500 and up depending the artist, size and scale of work.  There is a huge market for art globally and likely you have something on your walls already – or you want to.  Now…why shouldn’t you invest in the most important image in your world – an image of you and your family.

A session with First Blush Photography means connection.  You will see the love between the family members regardless of the composition and that should mean something to you.  An image that you will love and those feelings will last longer then just a few days.

The family whose session I did a few weeks back at Fish Creek Park in Calgary Alberta was a session that I have personally wanted for myself for years.  Sunset, fall, dried grasses and thistle puffs…it is one of the most beautiful settings I have ever selected for a family and I did so because I knew it would work and the feel it would give would be magical.  All of the tones in the session were gold and rose and the family was AMAZING – everyone was excited (though a tad bit chilly) and you could feel the love in this family.  Even Dad was fantastic…and I say that only because many men do not share the lady’s enthusiasm for the importance of the moment.  To have a dad that was eager to participate and show love for his family like he did was beautiful and you can see that in the images.

The kids were amazing listeners and again, despite the fact they were frozen because fall in Alberta is never warm for some sad reason – they participated and acted like kids, but with the maturity of little adults.  It is always awesome when you also have kids that are eager to have image done, well…at the very least eager to get them completed but whatever the reason it doesn’t matter – if the kids are happy and doing well, Mom and Dad are happy and you just cannot beat that – it is the ingredients for magic.

Choosing to book First Blush Photography to capture your very treasured time and love is very different then booking someone to just fill a need.  Art is created and I can’t imagine why the most valued piece of art in your home wouldn’t be an representation of love and the value you feel for your family.

Much love,

Suzie