Why You Shouldn’t Stop Portraits After Age Five

Sep 18

**“This portrait of our daughters, taken when they were 20 and 27, remains one I deeply treasure.”**
**-Bev/mom**

**“It feels like I blinked, and my little girl grew into a young woman before my eyes and is now married.”**
**-client/mom**

**“Time passes in the blink of an eye, and while I treasure who they’ve become, I ache a little for the days that went by too fast.”**
**-every mom**

When children are little, it feels natural to capture every stage—the newborn curl, the first steps, the missing teeth. But somewhere around age five, many families pause. Portraits are pushed aside for the busyness of life, and suddenly years slip by without a single professional image…but lots of iPhone snaps.

Why do we stop?

Life takes over. School, activities, and full schedules leave little time to pause.
The milestones feel less defined. Once the toddler and preschool stages pass, growth feels less obvious—yet it’s happening every single day. See example below.
We think “later” will be the right time. But later rarely comes as quickly—or as intentionally—as we hope.

And yet, the years beyond five are some of the most important to capture. These are the years when personalities deepen, confidence blooms, and individuality shines through. Childhood is not over—it is simply unfolding into new chapters.

*In our family, during the awkward years of 13 to 16, our youngest daughter wanted nothing to do with being photographed. We obliged and now regret having no portraits of her during those years!

Three reasons not to stop after five

Their story is still being written. Every age reveals a new side of who they are becoming. Portraits preserve not just faces, but character and spirit.
The pace quickens. The older they grow, the faster the years seem to fly. SO TRUE! Regular portraits slow time in a way nothing else can.
You’re building a legacy wall. A single portrait is lovely, but a collection spanning every stage of life is powerful. Imagine walking through your home and seeing your son or daughter’s journey—from childhood into adulthood—framed as art. It is a living testament to love, growth, and family.

The Reward

There is profound joy in seeing portraits of your children at every age. From the gap-toothed grin of age six to the confident gaze of a young adult, each image whispers, “This is who they were, and this is how deeply they were loved.”

Portraits beyond five aren’t just photographs. They are visual stories and anchors of memory—pieces that remind you daily that childhood, in all its stages, is worthy of being celebrated.