Karen Doughman

San Diego Area

Lifestyle Photographer

There’s never enough time with the ones we love at any stage of life. In a few weeks a newborn becomes an infant, an infant becomes a toddler, and that toddler becomes a teenager. Each stage is so new and wonderful and overwhelming all at once that we can miss the moments that matter most if we don’t deliberately take time to preserve them.

Photographs are an amazing way to safeguard those memories. This is never more evident than when a loved one passes away. When my father died, we did what most families do after he passed: we flipped through the photo albums looking for memories.

Grandma told the stories belonging to his childhood. Dad’s brothers told the stories belonging to his young adulthood. His wife told the stories belonging to their marriage. Each story was inspired by an image and each image was evidence of the life he lived. Together the images worked to tell the story of the man who was no longer able to tell it himself.

We lingered over the images that captured some essence of his personality, that had some personal item in them that was meaningful to him and that inspired a story. We lingered over the images that captured everyday moments.

That experience was a powerful reminder of why documenting everyday moments matters – and why being in the photos is important. That experience reaffirmed why I do what I do – helping families preserve their everyday moments, so they have a tangible way to relive the love and connection they share.

You’ll never regret

making the effort to document your family’s story.

But you may regret

the images not taken.