Family Pictures

Family pictures. Do the words strike terror deep into your soul? They do for me. You see, I am old enough to remember a time prior to digital photography. Remember when you had to put film in your camera? Remember when you had to wait to have it developed before you could see the pictures? Yeah, this was not a good thing for someone as vain as I am. My mother once commented, "Oh vanity, thy name is Terrianne," and never has she spoken truer words. I am terribly self-critical when it comes to how I look, and here's the thing: I am just not very photogenic. Usually in pictures, I look like I'm drunk. Not that I've ever been drunk; I haven't. But I think that's how I would look, and it is not good.

I remember taking our four little kids (this was the pre-Seth era) to get family photos. So much preparation and time went in to selecting just the right outfits for everyone. Then there was the effort to make sure the kids all had sufficient sleep and that we weren't scheduled at the photo studio around nap time or meal time. We tried to think of everything! And I truly did my best too, taking care with hair and make-up. Nevertheless, more often than not, we'd go through all the hassle of getting the pictures taken and all the expense of paying for them, only to find that I looked awful. I mean totally horrific! And so I would tear up the pictures and never use them. I can't even tell you how many times this happened.

So you can imagine my excitement by the advent of digital photography. Really? I could actually see the pictures ahead of time before I decided to buy? A glorious "delete" button would allow me to banish all traces of ugliness, rather than having to wait for the pictures themselves, decide which ones (usually all of them) needed to be torn up, and then search for and destroy the negatives as well. Wow! My world suddenly improved incredibly and dramatically.

Why then does the thought of pictures still illicit terror? Hmm. Habit, I guess. It's probably a reaction to years of desiring decent family pictures, trying so hard to get them, and failing so miserably. Also, I suppose even with digital, it's not always easy to get seven people to look good simultaneously. We don't have little, little kids any more, so some of the pressure is off, but Seth still gets squirmy, and even the parents and the big kids get tired. The key now is a good photographer. I am surprisingly pleased with these latest photos, and it's all thanks to our photographer, Thad. He took meticulous care with each step of the process, and it shows. So thank you, Thad.

And thank you, technology, for once again making my life better, and in this case specifically, taking some of the terror out of family pictures.