Before we create everything from our Signature Portrait Videos to our Mitzvah Movies and Montages, we first sit down with families to talk about their stories, their ideas, and what is most important to them. This part of the Portraits that Move filmmaking process not only makes for a smooth production from start to finish. It helps us to understand the story that you want to tell - the moments that you want to preserve and share.

What Moments Matter?

Thinking about what moments matter and why is especially important when we create a Mitzvah Montage. One of the best things about Mitzvah Montages is that they give us the opportunity to share a mini-history of your child - what matters to them, what makes them happy, what makes them uniquely themselves at this milestone moment.

This comes with challenges, too, as every parent who has ever tried to put together an annual photo collage knows! Once you start looking back at all the moments, big and small, you become overwhelmed. You want to share every tooth-gap smile, every first day of school, every triumph, and all those quiet moments in between - your child reading, looking up at fireworks, running to their favorite swing.

How do you know what to include in a Mitzvah Montage?

As with all things parenting, there is no one answer. But we do have a good guide, and a recommendation for the one photo you can’t forget to include.

The One Photo You Must Include in Your Mitzvah Montage

Find a photo that shows all of your family doing something together. That includes you, Mom! So often, we get caught up in sharing the most perfect moments. And, thanks to the stress of motherhood or our own hangups about how we’re looking right now or how we think we should look instead, we leave ourselves out of the equation.

But what are we telling our children when we do this?

All of our work at Portraits that Move is dedicated to documenting and celebrating the real moments that make our family lives what they are. The story that unfolds in little ways every day. And you are a part of that story, Mom.

Just ask your child.

So find the photo that tells your story.

Choose the photo that makes your whole family smile, laugh, or tear up with joy. Close your eyes and think of the moment when you felt connected to each other in a special way because of your child. That is the moment to share. That moment, with your child and your shared love, joy, and pride, is the photo you must include in your Mitzvah Montage.

Whether or not your guests notice it, it is the gift you give to your family, and to your child on their special day.