Family photo shoot at the Ancient olive grove in Aegina island Greece

Like any professional, a wedding photographer needs to express himself as he develops his art. The art of wedding photography incorporates a number of elements which vary in importance from couple to couple and from photographer to photographer. I’m writing this as I think about every family photo shoot and photographs and how important they can be for a couple, and for the whole family. This is different from the visual appeal and technical challenge the wedding photographer searches for. Still, these are the photographs the couple will most prominently display in their home, framed for a lifetime on the fireplace mantle. They are also the images that will get the most views and tags!

These thoughts run through my mind on my way back from a family photo shoot in the ancient olive grove in Aegina.

The grandmother left Greece 40 years ago and is returning from America with her three sons, two granddaughters, her daughter-in-law and the girlfriend of one of her sons. Greek expats, visiting Greece on holiday and wanting to record the memory. They arrive looking their best, dressed in white, as directed by the photographer. In a celebratory mood, they come to the ancient olive grove in Aegina and the family photo shoot begins. They already know in advance the combinations of people they would like for each shot, so the rest is up to the aesthetics and technical expertise of the photographer – and the pleasure of the viewer. The next day, I receive an e-mail from the grandmother. She thanks me and shares her story.

“And this little girl who once left her homeland, little Eirini, returns today with her family and still has something of that little girl in her heart, but feeling that this will be the last time she will be visiting. Thank you for giving me the chance to take the memory with me.”

And thank you for giving me the chance to once again appreciate the value of the art of photography.