Get the Picture!

For some, this may be a sensitive topic while for others it may be something that has never occurred to them.

A picture of you. Yes, you. How many pictures do you have of yourself that are current, professional and the sort of picture that you would like to represent you in your obituary. Yikes! Obituary?

Like most people my age, I read the obituary notices daily and the one thing that consistently makes me scratch my head is seeing a notice accompanied by a picture of the dear departed taken 50 years ago. Or something cropped out of a picture from the last family picnic or Christmas get-together – so pixelated that it hardly looks like them. Believe it or not, I’ve even seen scans of passport photos used, presumably because nothing else could be found!

No matter what stage you are at in your life, professional photographers will tell you that having an updated portrait or headshot taken every five years is a good idea. Find a good photographer who will make you feel comfortable and have the ability to take a picture that makes you look like yourself, capturing that sparkle in your eyes and engaging everyone who sees it. A good place to start your search is at the Headshot Crew, which maintains a list of photographers all over the world who specialize in this work.

A portrait session is a great gift to give the senior who has everything. On the other side of the coin, a lovely framed picture is a great gift to give to children and grandchildren. And, yes, it will be handy to use in an obituary when the time comes.