When my daughter Maya was a baby, like most parents, we wanted to capture her every stage in pictures.  Once she was able to sit up on her own and her bubbly personality was blooming, we invested in a session with a well known boutique photographer in own town.  At 7 months old, Maya had round, pink, chubby cheeks, loads of baby fat “rolls,” and a mega-watt smile that could rival any Gerber baby’s.  The photos were perfectly lit…technically spot on.  I thought they were beautiful.  And they are beautiful, aside from one small detail.  My baby is wearing a giant purple hydrangea on her head.  It was all the rage at the time.  Moms everywhere wanted their babies to look like they fell straight off the latest Anne Geddes calendar.  While I have no doubt that she was the cutest baby to ever hatch out of an egg (yep – got that one too), I can’t help think that I denied her a family heirloom in pursuit of a trend.

So what is timeless?  For me, timeless is rather synonymous with lifestyle photography.  It’s the reason I fell in love with this style and why I always find myself coming back to it.  A timeless photograph stands the test of time both visually and emotionally.  My parents took these photographs of me when I was an infant back in the 70s.  The film negatives are long lost, so all I have are 3×5 inch printed memories.  They are, and always have been, deeply cherished by me.  Simple.  Innocent.  Hydrangea wig free.

Timeless.

While there will always be a place for trends, it’s important to remember that they come and go.   What kinds of images will become a part of your family’s timeless collection?