Print What Matters. Why It Is Important to Display Family Photos In Your Home.
WRITTEN BY AMY CHRISTENSEN
As a child I can remember many gatherings with extended family, where old style cameras snapped pictures by the dozen. My mom would take the rolls of film to the little kiosk in our grocery store parking lot, where she would put them in an envelope with our name on it. In about a week we would pick up the photos. I honestly can’t remember seeing our faces in very many images. They were often blurry renditions of people’s feet or half-selves, laughing and looking silly with hands in front of faces and crimson eyes, like they were some sort of blood seeking vampires.
As I grew up, my dad owned, not only the Kodak snapshot type camera, but a Polaroid where the pictures came out after you took the photo and you watched as they magically developed. In addition, my father had a movie camera, which he brought out, every holiday season, bright lights and all, to film our Christmas morning chaos.
There is something important that takes place in a child’s mind and heart, when they see pictures of themselves, either in film or still photos. I can remember feeling somewhat overlooked, as I became the recipient of third child syndrome. There were lots of pictures of my oldest brother by himself and then with our next brother, but as the baby it seems my parent’s lives became too full and busy to take many pictures of me. There are some, a few good ones, but many more where it seems I was just a fixture in the back ground.
In the last four decades there has been a movement towards two related ideas in the area of photography and psychology. Photo therapy is the use of photos in a clinical setting by licensed counselors and social workers as a form of therapy. The use of images helps to put people at ease, enables them to make connections without often intimidating verbal banter and allows them to talk about topics unrelated to their problems, giving the clinician insights into their person. Therapeutic photography is the use of picture taking and images to bring about growth and healing with no need for special equipment or certified clinicians. These two related fields are often used together.
Design Aglow, a comprehensive website for portrait and wedding photographers posted an article by Chris Cummins titled, How Family Portraits Boost Your Child’s Self Esteem. In the article the author addressed a study done in 1975 by Tulane University. The study looked at a group of forth graders over a five week period. The students were given Polaroid cameras and told to take photos throughout the week. At the end of each week, the students put together a scrap book of their photos. After the five week period ended the students and their teachers were tested. The study revealed a 37% increase in average self-esteem behaviors.
In 1983 David Krauss, Ph.d., licensed clinical psychologist, along with Jerry Fryrear, Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist and professor, edited a compilation of articles written by clinical psychologists, counselors, psychiatrists, social workers and art therapists titled, Phototherapy and Mental Health. Krauss, Fryrear and the contributing writers seemed to feel there was a definite connection between an individual’s self worth and seeing photos of themselves displayed by their families. Over time, the debate has become less about whether photos are important in elevating a child’s feelings of worth and acceptance and more about whether the photos need to be on the wall in a home, or can be just as effective as digital images on a phone or computer.
“My bias is very simple. I think they (family photographs) should be on the wall...They have a certainty about them and a protecting quality that nurtures a child.”
On a similar front, Judy Weiser, psychologist, art therapist, founder and director of the PhotoTherapy Center in British Columbia, Canada wrote a book titled, PhotoTherapy Techniques: Exploring the Secrets of Personal Snapshots and Family Matters.
“PhotoTherapy techniques are therapy practices that use people’s personal snapshots, family albums, and pictures taken by others (and the feelings, thoughts, memories, and beliefs these photos evoke) as catalysts to deepen insight and enhance communication during their therapy or counseling sessions (conducted by trained mental health professionals), in ways not possible using words alone. ”
With the backing of these licensed professionals it would seem safe to conclude people feel better when they see themselves as being a part of something special like the family unit. Having images displayed around our homes is a way to ensure and encourage the members of that family as being important and included.
“It lets children learn who they are and where they fit. They learn their genealogy and the uniqueness of their family and its story.”
I often wonder if my parents had been more intentional in their picture taking and in displaying photos more prominently around our home, would I struggle less with my own feelings of self-esteem. Would I have felt safer, more secure and more included if there had been pictures of our family as a whole on our living room walls?
Rebecca Trumbull Photography, a Toledo, Ohio based photographer, is a professional whose product could be proudly displayed in a family’s home. Rebecca has a way with adults, rambunctious children and even the family pets to such a degree you will not see red eye,s hands in front of faces or gaping mouths, unless it is in laughter. The choice to document your family with Rebecca will deliver years of satisfaction for you and the joy of belonging for your family.
These images show the family photos Rebecca has displayed in her own home. She believes it is important to print and enjoy portraits in your house.
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