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My grandmother on my moms side of the family was heavily involved in genealogy work. I remember her telling me stories about different people in our family tree. It really brought to life these people I have never met. She actually loved doing it for other people too. She found so much joy in connecting people with family they never knew that they had. By the time I gotten older and she had passed on, most of our family’s work had been completed. I wanted to somehow still have projects to work on focusing on genealogy but just wasn’t sure where to start.
Fast forward to a few years ago, I fell in love with doing sessions that showcased antiques as props. And that’s when it dawned on me. We could share family stories with real family treasures. They could tell a story within a story and it can be done through photography. And that’s when I knew. I found it. I found the way that I could leave my footprint in the world of genealogy.
When most people think about genealogy, they picture names on a family tree or hours spent searching on Ancestry.com. But at its heart, genealogy is really about stories. It is piecing together the lives of the people who came before us so we can understand where we come from.
Photography, especially when it is rooted in storytelling, does the very same thing. A portrait is more than just a pretty picture. It is a record of love, history, and belonging. Both genealogy and storytelling photography work hand in hand to create a legacy that lasts.
Family historians preserve written records. Photographers preserve visual records. A single portrait can say as much as a stack of documents. According to the Library of Congress, photographs are considered some of the most valuable sources for genealogical research because they show details that words cannot capture (Library of Congress, 2022).
Think about it this way: a marriage certificate tells you two people were wed, but a photograph of a bride in her grandmother’s dress shows you what tradition and love looked like. A portrait of a child holding their great-grandfather’s military cap is not just a picture, it is living history.
Genealogists treasure items like letters, medals, and family Bibles because they add context to the story. As a photographer, I see heirlooms in the same light. A vintage chair, an antique teacup, or a worn-in baseball mitt can turn an ordinary photo into a timeless one.
In my own sessions, I encourage families to bring items that hold meaning. I also use antiques in my studio to create a sense of nostalgia. These heirlooms are not just props. They are anchors that connect the past to the present and make sure family stories are remembered for years to come.
Genealogy honors the past. Storytelling photography captures the present so that it becomes the past one day. The two are deeply connected.
An Ancestry survey found that 83% of adults feel more connected to their relatives when they know their family history (Ancestry.com, 2023). That is the power of stories. When I photograph multiple generations together, I know those portraits will mean even more 20, 30, or 50 years from now. They become family treasures that show not just what people looked like, but how they belonged to one another.
For photographers, weaving genealogy into your mindset changes everything. Instead of seeing a portrait as a picture for today, you start to see it as an heirloom for tomorrow. Ask your clients about their stories. Invite them to bring a keepsake that matters. And when you edit, think about how your choices can help elevate that image into something timeless.
This is one reason I love creating and teaching editing techniques that bring out a painterly, storybook feel. My PNG overlay bundles, for example, allow photographers to add antique props or whimsical touches to a scene. These details don’t just make the photo creative, they add depth to the narrative and tie the work back to the idea of legacy.
For families, storytelling photography is one of the simplest ways to contribute to your family history. You do not have to spend years building a family tree to preserve your story. You can begin right now by being photographed in a way that reflects who you are and what matters to you.
A portrait of your child holding your grandmother’s favorite book, or an image of three generations together in one frame, becomes just as meaningful as names on a chart. These photographs will one day help your descendants understand who you were, not just what you looked like.
At their core, genealogy and photography are both about connection. Genealogists build bridges across centuries through documents and research. Photographers build bridges between past, present, and future with light, posing, and emotion. Both remind us that life is brief, but stories live on.
Whether you are a photographer hoping to bring more meaning into your work, or a family wanting to create portraits that go beyond the surface, storytelling photography and genealogy show us the same truth. Every image, every keepsake, every story matters.
To help you create your own Heirloom Portraits I have included a Heirloom Hunt workbook where you can jot down items you find around the house and write down why they are meaningful to you. This will hopefully spark some creativity so that you can create memorable images. Because whether you are recording names on a tree or creating a portrait for the wall, your story deserves to be remembered.
