Make this Father Generations Photo for the special Dad in your life!
This father generations photo is one of the most creative things I have ever done. However executing it was not all that easy. Would you like to make this great gift? Then learn from my mistakes by following the tips below to create your own father generations photo.
I originally got the idea to do the father generations photo with my son, my husband, his father, and his grandfather. A timeless photo to preserve the generations on my husband’s side of the family. So much love is something pretty incredible to witness!
I first met my husband’s father fairly early in our relationship. These two are so much alike it’s uncanny. It was nice to see the love between them knowing that one day my then-boyfriend would have a love like that with our children.
I met my husband’s grandfather, Papa, at our first family Christmas celebration. So full of joy and constantly laughing! My then-boyfriend introduced me to this lovely man as his girlfriend. Within minutes of the conversation, I was “told” that I NEEDED to give him a great-grandson. Not a great-grandchild but a great-grandSON! I agreed and promised this man, my future husband’s grandfather, that I would give him a great-grandson. My husband was the only boy out of four grandchildren so the pressure was on him to carry the family name. For some reason, I had no problem promising Papa that I would make it happen because I KNEW deep inside I wouldn’t let him down.
My then-boyfriend and I were engaged shortly thereafter, married the following year and pregnant less than a year after that. We wanted a son so badly! The day we found out we were actually having a boy was one of the best days of our lives. I was so excited to tell my husband’s grandfather! Thrilled to tell him that I had kept my promise and that he was getting his great-grandson!
The day my son met his great-grandfather was one of my favorites! We also got quite a few visits in and even a Christmas before things took a turn for the worst with Papa’s health. He had been diagnosed with cancer and had been fighting it. We were all optimistic, especially Papa. Things seemed to be going well with the treatments. Then he got worse. It felt like it happened overnight, but it was much longer. We stayed optimistic. He was the patriarch of the family. The glue that held the pieces together… and then he was gone.
I’m grateful to have known him and even more grateful that he got to meet his great-grandson. I hope that it brought him the joy to know that his legacy would live on. That his love would be carried through generations. It was an honor to know him and I hope he’s proud. I hope he watches over us and sees his great-grandson grow. We show our son pictures of him, of them together, and tell stories about him. Papa will live on forever in our memories and in our hearts.
I originally got the idea for this project when my son was nine months old. It was early May and I wanted to have the father generations photo completed to give to my husband, his father & his grandfather for Father’s Day. Of course, as a relatively new mom who also worked full-time, it seemed almost impossible to accomplish this project by Father’s Day and it was. Papa started to get sick before I was able to get the final picture with him.
Here’s what you’ll need:
~ 8×10 Frames for each person/recipient
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Here are my tips for this project:
- Use the same frame in all pictures.
- Take the glass out of the picture frame to reduce glare.
- Use the same backdrop or something similar if possible.
- Use a good camera to ensure great photo quality when you enlarge your prints.
- Take the pictures in natural light without flash.
- Photograph in the shade to reduce glare.
- Take multiple pics at different angles and distances.
- Select your finish (color, sepia, black and white) on the final picture when printing.
- Use 1-hour developing at your local photo shop or pharmacy to do this quickly.
- Start this project NOW! Don’t wait.
You will want to take the first picture of the youngest and progress to the eldest as you get the photos developed. I chose to use the setting sepia when printing my final pics. This was more of the look I wanted. I also think black and white would be beautiful. You do not need to select this camera setting or print option until you get the final picture printed.
I absolutely love our Canon EOS Rebel T6 Camera and wish that we had purchased it sooner. You can see the difference in the quality of the photos we took with our cell phones versus the camera we used for this project. I chose to use the normal, color setting on my camera for all the pictures. Using the same backdrop made for a more cohesive look. The exterior light green wall of our house was the backdrop for my photos. I put my son in a plaid shirt, my husband in a dark shirt, and then grandpa in a plaid shirt as well. If they were all three dressed in plaid or solid colors, I felt it would look too matchy-matchy.
The first picture was ridiculously hard to take of my nine-month-old! He wouldn’t smile at the camera and wouldn’t stop moving. It was nuts! This is where patience really pays off! 😉 If you’re doing this with a young child use the sports setting or continuous burst mode so you can more easily get that perfect shot of your mobile child. It also helps to have an assistant to keep the child seated or to help get them to smile while looking at the camera. Take your perfect shot and then have the photos developed in color. I used 8×10 frames, so I printed all pics in 8×10.
Then move on up to dad and have him hold the picture of the baby. Remove the glass from the frame first as this will help reduce glare. Take a few pictures at different angles and distances. Some of the pictures I took were perfect. Some of the photos were too far away to crop to the larger 8×10 size. Leave yourself enough room to crop, but not too much to where the image will be blurry.
Continue the same process up the ladder until you’ve taken pictures of all the generations. You can select your printing option on the last photo once you decide what finish you prefer.
Print multiple copies of the final picture and place them in the frames. We decided to hang both the first picture of our son and the final picture together. We absolutely love the way it turned out!My only regret is not completing this project with Papa but I am grateful to have the three generations. Some people don’t even have their father in their life. I know how lucky we are. In a way, this photo still reminds me of Papa because of the intent behind it. I started the project with him and his legacy in mind and his love is still reflected in this picture.
Have you done a father generations photo? How did it turn out? Let me know in the comments below.
~ Cassie