It’s been a while since we took a family picture, at least professionally.
So, today, amidst a visit to the mall to make some returns, we stopped in to a portraiture location to have pictures taken of our kids, and to take a few family photos.
Our kids took to the posing like any kids will, and had a ton of fun, until they got too silly and we had to rope them in so the photographer could get the shots that she wanted to. The pictures of the kids came out great, and we ended up with a few nice family photos too.
After we purchased a number of prints and some digital stills, I got to thinking about how valuable pictures are.
One thing that we haven’t been great at, since the advent of phones with integrated cameras anyway, has been documenting our lives via paper. We have hundreds of pictures saved on computer, but very few actual albums that anyone can leaf through. While it is great to know we have all the pictures, it is sad to think our kids don’t have the pictures in a number of photo albums that they can work through, should they so choose.
Now granted, we could easily purchase albums and send the pictures to be printed, but for some reason, we haven’t. I’m not sure if it is us, or if it is the nature of photos now being so easy to take and hold onto.
As I thought about our professional work, I thought about how important it is to document the lives of those we serve, as well as our own careers. Sometimes it makes sense to do this using pictures, but at other times words, or a spoken reflection, might be a better fit. Every picture or reflection leads to a story, and the more we document, the clearer that story becomes to those who come after us.
Our legacy is less about us, and more about the learning and leading that happens in the spaces we inhabit, if only for a short time. Therefore, pictures are worth many and more words, and the more ways we can provide a visual of the learning, leading, and living that is going on around us, the more we can make sure that everyone’s stories get told.