WHAT MY PHOTO LEGACY MEANS

By Emily Renier

What do I wish my photographic legacy to be? 

Whenever I hear the word ‘legacy,’ my heart gets pinched a little.

You see, I don't have children. And 80% of the time, I am fine about it (verging on smug). But that 20% can show up at times, hiding just around the corner, just to remind me I couldn't do what so many other people could.

‘Legacy’ is very much the phrase that acts as a reminder that I had better do something to make sure I do leave something behind, as children, it was not. And you see, I think that if there is anything I could leave behind is the way I try to make people feel about themselves with my photographs. That's why I am so committed to documentary photography. My ultimate vision with my business is to try to remind human beings that, despite what they are being told and shown on social media all day everyday, no-one is perfect, no-one holds their shit together. And in actual fact, we are all absolutely fine as we are. We are all enough. 

I work predominantly with families that actually give themselves quite a hard time;  "I must be a perfect parent, must do everything I do as perfectly as possible, can't let people down, can't let my children down".

And reality is far from perfect. We don't let anyone down by being who we truly are. So this is precisely what I try to do with my family photo sessions. I want to leave parents feeling that they are absolutely fine as they are, that they are doing an absolutely amazing job and that they absolutely need to believe in their hearts of hearts, that they are, indeed, enough.

So that is what I would love my legacy to be. I couldn't have a family of my own. I think I would have been a great mother, but I think I would have given myself an incredibly hard time, I will have forgotten everyday that I am enough. So all I can do now is try to remind people around me as much as I can. Whether I manage to do this or not, who knows... but one can only try...

Picture by Emily Renier