Memories Matter: A Journey Beyond the Frame

Memories matter.

Growing up, one of the most vivid images from my childhood home was my parents' wall of photographs. Picture this: an expansive wall, completely overshadowing its floral wallpaper with a tapestry of mismatched frames that detailed our family's journey. A visual diary, filled with images of my sister and me – from gummy smiles as toddlers in coordinated outfits to the self-conscious grins in our brace-filled teenage years.

I cherished those moments as a kid.

Every glance at that wall was a warm embrace, a tangible reminder of the love and pride my parents felt for us. While some homes had generic store-bought photos – a cat lounging on a windowsill or an artfully arranged vase – that could be swapped out with any latest interior design trend, our photo wall was irreplaceable.

It was real.

It was us.

However, I won’t lie. My teenage self didn’t always appreciate it. I remember rolling my eyes when my parents added yet another photograph. "Another one?" I'd think. Fast forward to today, and being a mother has painted this memory in a whole new light. The sentimentality of those photographs, the power of those frozen moments – it's something I feel deeply. And I get it now, more than ever.

Time has a way of giving perspectives. Those frames on our family wall, some of them almost four decades old, still harbor vivid, colorful images.

In an age where everything was analog, those photographs have stood the test of time. Today, when I look back, I can’t help but feel a profound sense of gratitude. There were no digital traps – no inaccessible formats, no forgotten passwords, no cloud storage expiration dates.

While today’s world is filled with fleeting Snapchat stories, and terabytes of memories stored somewhere in the vastness of the digital cloud, the tangible essence of a printed photograph remains unparalleled.

Remember the once omnipresent floppy discs? The cassettes? Mini discs? USB1? All came and went, becoming footnotes in the rapid march of technological progress.

This realization fuels my passion as a photographer. It's not just about capturing a moment, but about preserving an emotion, a memory, in its most authentic form. An image that doesn't just live on a screen but can be held, felt, and passed on.

My walls are now a jumble of frames, each one holding a memory behind the glass.

Every time I look through the lens, I'm reminded of the profound beauty of your ordinary. The subtle curve of a smile, the twinkle in an eye, the silent tales that hands tell when they intertwine. These are the moments that, in their simplicity, become our extraordinary.

Your family portraits? They're more than just pixels on a mobile phone screen. It's a testament to love's enduring strength, the stories shared, the battles fought, and the dreams you've woven together.

Life has a way of slipping through our fingers. The days blend, the children grow, and the normal of today becomes the nostalgia of tomorrow. And while we cannot stop time, we can preserve a fragment of it. A fragment that speaks of love, of connection, of a moment when everything felt just right, in the midst of the chaos.

The perfectly imperfect.

So don't wait for perfection to capture and print these precious shots. Waiting until you have a "free hour" to organise and order frames means it will forever be bumped down the priority list. Because true beauty lies in the raw, unscripted moments. In the loud laughter, the silent tears, and the comfort of a familiar embrace.

Your family's story is unfolding every day, and every chapter, every page, every word is worth preserving and printing. Because today's fleeting moment is tomorrow's treasured memory.

Because your memories? They're heirlooms. Tangible treasures that you hand down, bridging generations. Today's photographs are tomorrow’s history, and I am committed to ensuring that this history is not just stored but celebrated – printed, framed, and cherished.

In an age where everything is fleeting, remember this: memories matter. And it’s our responsibility to ensure they stand the test of time.

Lauren xox