Are Posed Family Photos the Product of Old Cameras?

A family poses for a portrait in front of a fabric backdrop on the veranda of their home, in the early 1900s. Public Domain

I recently had this thought: does posed family photography exist only because of early camera technology?

The very first photograph was made in 1826 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. By the 1840s, cameras had become more accessible to the general public…et voila! Family portraits emerged in photography. Huge drawback though; the shutter speed of early cameras required people to sit still for 20-30 seconds, otherwise the image would turn out blurry. Hence, those stoic, angry expressions directed toward the lens.

The technology of photography has obviously advanced beyond those early years…but has our relation to it changed? I can’t help but wonder if the tradition of sitting still and staring into a camera together has been passed down through the generations simply because we subconsciously hold on to the notion of “that’s the way it’s always been done”.  We all want to have photos of ourselves with the people that are important to us - and family portraits can certainly be beautiful - but do they convey your love for one another authentically?

Or does your love lie in the creases around your eyes as you look at your kids with a sparkle that’s reserved only for them? Is it perhaps better felt in the way that you play with their hair as you lounge on the couch together? It could also be found in your calm during their storm, a spontaneous dance in the kitchen, the expression you make as someone goofs off, your traditions and routines, the hobbies and interests that you share, and the way that you and your partner tackle it all together; deeper and different in love than you were at the start…those details don’t often show up in posed photos.

There are so many ways that you show your love to your family; it’s time to evolve how you have it photographed! The smile that your kids will remember after you’re gone likely doesn’t appear when you’re asked to produce it.

Something to think about!