I’ve got a lot of great portraits in my office. And this is one of my favorites. What makes it great? It’s an image of my nephew Wyatt at about 6 months old and this one has been making me smile for almost 14 years. Any ‘picture’ that can do that, for me, is a great one. I remember where we were and what we were doing. I remember his chubby little legs barely reaching the floor as he zoomed around the kitchen sitting in his bouncy-rolly thing. I remember the Cheerios in the tray in front of him and huge kitchen window letting in the absolutely perfect light.
I’ll never forget that day or how adorable Wyatt was when he was a toddler… and he was adorable. This is one of those images that continues to solidify my feeling that Family Portraits are important. They’re important to me becauseI want to remember that stuff; the funny faces, chubby cheeks and missing teeth… all of it. Without pictures, there’s no way that I could ever remember that day or what he looked like way back then. But every day, I smile at that image and all the memories.
Now in his teens, Wy’s certainly changed… just ask his parents! He’s still a great kid and I still bug him to let me take his picture. Because today’s pictures are tomorrow’s memories and in 14 more years I’ll still be able to look at all of the great portraits on my wall… and smile.
