The Power of Belonging - Family photography not as a luxury, but as a foundation

To children, photographs are never just decoration – they are evidence. A framed portrait says: “You are part of this story. You are loved. You belong here.” That daily reminder, quietly absorbed every time they pass the hallway or turn the pages of an album, plants deep roots of security.

Psychologists often speak about how a child forms self-esteem not only through words, but through repeated signals of self-recognition. Photographs do exactly that: they show children they matter enough to be seen, celebrated and remembered. When a child spots themselves in a family picture – squeezed between siblings, wrapped in a parent’s arm – they internalise an unspoken message: “I fit. I count. I am cherished”.

This resonated strongly with my own story. By 19 I had lived in four countries, constantly shifting languages, schools and cultural codes. Each moment meant starting again – new friends, new rules, new ways of belonging. What anchored me were the photographs my parents carried from place to place. They reminded me that no matter the classroom or passport, I was part of a thread of continuity, woven into a family that travelled with me.

That is why I see family photography not as a luxury, but as a foundation. For children growing up in one city or across continents, pictures provide a visual narrative of love and connection. Belonging is the soil in which confidence grows – and photographs, displayed and cherished, are one of the simplest, yet most powerful ways we can nurture it.