WE ARE FAMILY!

As a professional photographer in Amsterdam I’ve seen an impact on my work through the coronavirus pandemic; I’m pretty sure many creative professionals have also experienced this. 

For one thing there’s very few wedding photography requests coming through and those that I do get are for small ceremonies at the Amsterdam municipality office or in a restaurant or bar.  2020 has led to us all downsizing and downscaling our plans and you can definitely see this with weddings and events across The Netherlands and the world.

But one positive trend I have noticed is the increase in family portrait requests.   I guess this is not surprising.  We’ve all had to change our plans and spend more time at home with lockdowns and restrictions in place.  In the scary and unpredictable situation that we’re living through, the one constant is the bond we have with our partners, our children, family and friends. 

I’ve seen a big increase in the number of people requesting a family portrait photographer in Amsterdam or North Holland.  Whether to mark a special occasion like a birthday, 50th wedding anniversary or housewarming; people are creating reasons to bring their family together and to create special memories.   

And for me that’s what a good family portrait shoot should be about: creating special memories.  Not just in the pictures themselves which will of course be a wonderful reminder on the living room wall or on a laptop or mobile screensaver.  But also, a special memory of the photoshoot itself. 

This is why I always try to make family portrait photoshoots as fun and relaxed as I can.  I’ve recently done photoshoots in Amsterdamse Bos, Vondelpark, along the grachten and even in the lovely old streets of Amersfoort.  The one thing all these shoots have in common is that they were fun, relaxed and full of a sense of love. 

And now with winter coming and more covid restrictions in place, people are still requesting family portraits but now it’s about ‘home’ as well.  People are requesting cosy, gezellig pictures of them and their loved ones in their house, apartment or on their terrace or garden; essentially their refuge and safe space during the crisis. 

I think home and family have never been so important to us as they are now.  And as a family portrait photographer, I feel privileged to get a unique insight into this special bond between families and their homes and lives.