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3 Reasons Why Photos Can Boost Your Happiness

There is a saying “Money can’t buy happiness”. I’m sure you all heard it, right?

Table of Contents hide
1 The reality is that happiness often comes from within you.
2 So why Can Photos Boost Your Happiness?
2.1 Here are the 3 Reasons Why Photos Can Boost Your Happiness
2.1.1 1. Displaying photos of our family members makes us proud and happy.
2.1.2 2. Photos help us remember the past.
2.1.3 3. Taking photographs can act as a diary.

Lots of people disagree with this. Others think it’s partially true, as with money you can buy some of the things that make you happy. Well, of course, truly poor people could be happier with money as they don’t have to worry about food or a place to live. However, apart from that exception, more money does not result in significantly more happiness.

The reality is that happiness often comes from within you.

Of course, happiness means different things to everyone. But researches show that there are some common things that make people feel happy. For example:

  • spending time with friends and family.
  • doing regular acts of kindness (even the smallest thing like holding the door for someone else.)
  • surrounding ourselves with positive people (happiness is contagious!)
  • exercising (when people get up and move, even a little, they tend to be happier than when they are still – think about dancing! That makes everyone feel happy.)
  • practising gratitude (people are proven to be healthier, more energetic, less stressed and anxious and get better sleep)
  • spending time in nature, outdoors.
  • spending money on experiences rather than things (we remember experiences for a longer period of time and our brains can re-live them, making our positive emotions last longer.)
3 reasons why photos can boost your happiness

So why Can Photos Boost Your Happiness?

Happiness is contagious! When we see someone laughing, even if we don’t know why, it’s very likely we throw a smile too! I’m sure you all have laughed at videos of babies laughing for example. It’s catchy, right?

Photos are such a joy and when we surround our home with photos of our family and happy moments it can only result in happiness. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a family photographer.

Here are the 3 Reasons Why Photos Can Boost Your Happiness

1. Displaying photos of our family members makes us proud and happy.

living room filled with family photos on the wall - why photos can boost your happiness

Our home is one of the places where happiness lives for most of us and when we set up the right environment, we can definitely feel the positive vibes. Photos remind us of the people we love, places we’ve been, and activities we enjoy. Lots of people like to have photos in their offices or in their wallets. Because every time we look at our loved ones, we feel grateful and happy. Plus raising children in a house with their photos on the wall helps them with their self-esteem. And an adult with decent self-esteem is happier and more confident. I always encourage my clients to display on the wall the photos from their photoshoots and that’s why I offer different types of products.

2. Photos help us remember the past.

A few days ago, on the International Day of Happiness (20th March), I did a poll on my Instagram stories. I asked, “Do you think photos remind you of happy times?” And you can read the result in the screenshot here.

One of the best and quickest ways to make yourself happy in the present is to recall happy times from the past. And what better way than looking through photos? We tend to photograph happy moments so photos are undoubtedly an excellent memory prompt for happiness.

3. Taking photographs can act as a diary.

Journaling is a proven tool to boost your mood and can give you a sense of well-being and happiness. They say to write down things you are grateful for, set your intention and write about how you feel. I mentioned at the start how practising gratitude is actually a happiness tool.

But in a diary or journal, you keep hold of your memories. That’s why you write them down. Photos are such great visuals of that moment. A moment that could be easily forgotten. A journal could be just a collection of photos. With no words needed, because a photo has already written it all. Like that early morning walk with your dog when everything is still quiet. Or that coffee in the new cafe’ in town. A photo will not only remind you of that moment but also of what happened before or after. And the visual is much quicker than reading the written story, which will surely miss some details. And often is in those details that the happy memory lies.

Are you pregnant? Download this free Pregnancy Journal and document your journey.

With the phone, today is so easy to do it. Take photos every day. Not just the special occasions. Take a photo of your jog, your walk. Take a photo during your lunch break, maybe you’re going to a street market. Or your office. Who knows if in 30 years they will both still be there. In the future, everyone might work from home and you will want to show your kids how was your daily life. Take a photo of something that catches your attention on the street. Start your little photo diary, maybe for a month and see how it makes you feel at the end of it. You can do that very easily on Instagram for example.

So do you see now why photos, among other things, can boost your happiness?

I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts. Let me know in the comments.

Related article: The Therapeutic Influence of Photos on Daily Well-being

Posted in Newborn
5 comments
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  • Gail

    Photos are so precious. I regret that I didn’t take many of some of my homes and workplaces.  This was before smartphones and photos were taken to Boots or sent away to be developed. ReplyCancel

    • Valentina

      Yes I remember those days. But at least we have printed photos because it was the only way to see them. Not that everything is digital we take loads more photos but print less or hardly any of them. Thanks for stopping by.ReplyCancel

  • Lisa's Notebook

    Yes, you’re right, taking photos acts as a journal, a memory of times and events we will probably forget otherwise. Definitely agree about family photos improving happiness!ReplyCancel

    • Valentina

      Definitely! We look back at photos all the times to remember moments or people. Thanks for stopping by Lisa.ReplyCancel

  • Family Photos and Self-Esteem: Why Seeing Yourself Matters

    […] 3 Reasons Why Photos Can Boost Your Happiness […]ReplyCancel

Follow Me

Nobody posts the days that just get survived.

The just-getting-through ones.

Some days, surviving is the whole job.

This one is for those, wherever you are with that today, could be personal, could be work, could be everything at once.

No advice today. Just, I see it. Keep going if you can.

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Open post by by_valentina with ID 17966771591932633
Nobody posts the days that just get survived. The just-getting-through ones. Some days, surviving is the whole job. This one is for those, wherever you are with that today, could be personal, could be work, could be everything at once. No advice today. Just, I see it. Keep going if you can.

Before her shoot, she wrote something I haven’t stopped thinking about.

She said seeing herself differently might help her realise that parts of her are seen and accepted, maybe even liked, for what they are, despite the internal narrative she tells herself about them.

And you know what? She is not the only one.

We see ourselves so differently than others see us.

That gap is where this work lives. I’m not trying to make anyone look like someone else. I’m showing them what was already there, just from outside their own head.

And that image becomes a print. Something to hold, not to just scroll past. A different mirror.

If you’ve never seen yourself the way others do, this is your invitation.

93 22
Open post by by_valentina with ID 18012446603719869
Before her shoot, she wrote something I haven’t stopped thinking about. She said seeing herself differently might help her realise that parts of her are seen and accepted, maybe even liked, for what they are, despite the internal narrative she tells herself about them. And you know what? She is not the only one. We see ourselves so differently than others see us. That gap is where this work lives. I’m not trying to make anyone look like someone else. I’m showing them what was already there, just from outside their own head. And that image becomes a print. Something to hold, not to just scroll past. A different mirror. If you’ve never seen yourself the way others do, this is your invitation.

There is something special that happens when you hold a printed album for the first time.

Its weight.
The texture under your fingers.
The sound of the pages turning.
The way the images look back at you, solid and real, in a way a screen never quite manages.

A digital file exists somewhere.

A printed album IS somewhere. You can feel the difference.

This is a newborn album. Leatherette cover, gold embossed text, lay flat pages that let every image breathe.

It is the final chapter of a session, the moment everything we created together becomes something you can live, enjoy and pass down.

This is why, after a shoot, a printed product is never an afterthought for me. It is the whole point.

And it is also why I am not the right photographer for everyone. If you are looking for a gallery of just digitals and nothing more, I would gently point you elsewhere.

But if you want something you can hold, something that feels like it truly exists, something your child will one day open and say this was us, then we should talk.

Newborn photography in Richmond and Twickenham.

28 3
Open post by by_valentina with ID 18132145309595634
There is something special that happens when you hold a printed album for the first time. Its weight. The texture under your fingers. The sound of the pages turning. The way the images look back at you, solid and real, in a way a screen never quite manages. A digital file exists somewhere. A printed album IS somewhere. You can feel the difference. This is a newborn album. Leatherette cover, gold embossed text, lay flat pages that let every image breathe. It is the final chapter of a session, the moment everything we created together becomes something you can live, enjoy and pass down. This is why, after a shoot, a printed product is never an afterthought for me. It is the whole point. And it is also why I am not the right photographer for everyone. If you are looking for a gallery of just digitals and nothing more, I would gently point you elsewhere. But if you want something you can hold, something that feels like it truly exists, something your child will one day open and say this was us, then we should talk. Newborn photography in Richmond and Twickenham.

For years I have strived for minimalism in my photos. Even when everyone was putting babies in baskets and flowers and that seemed like the only way to do it.

And lately I have been reflecting on that choice even more. It was right for me then. And it feels even more right now.

Especially in a world where everything is loud, fast and AI-generated. What cuts through all of that is not a prop or a set. It is a moment. A real one.

Holding your baby in your arms. The most precious thing you will ever hold. Staying in that stillness. The way the whole world seems to shrink down to just this, the small weight, the tiny face, this brand new person who has already changed everything in you.

These are the moments I get to witness.
And they never, ever get ordinary.

27 3
Open post by by_valentina with ID 17936289762257427
For years I have strived for minimalism in my photos. Even when everyone was putting babies in baskets and flowers and that seemed like the only way to do it. And lately I have been reflecting on that choice even more. It was right for me then. And it feels even more right now. Especially in a world where everything is loud, fast and AI-generated. What cuts through all of that is not a prop or a set. It is a moment. A real one. Holding your baby in your arms. The most precious thing you will ever hold. Staying in that stillness. The way the whole world seems to shrink down to just this, the small weight, the tiny face, this brand new person who has already changed everything in you. These are the moments I get to witness. And they never, ever get ordinary.

After 15 years, so much of what I do is on autopilot.

I look for the gorgeous light and read the baby. I know when to wait and when to act. And I do it without thinking.

But the moment someone is beside me, watching, learning, everything slows down. I have to find words for things I stopped noticing years ago. And in doing that, I remember how it felt at the beginning. The insecurities. The fear of getting it wrong. The weight of feeling like you should already know. The comparison with others.

Teaching reminds me how much courage it takes to learn something new and how gently we should treat ourselves while we do.

If you are starting out, in any field, well done. Truly. I know how hard and lonely those first steps can be. But you don’t have to take them alone.

And if you are a photographer thinking about a one to one newborn training day in my Twickenham studio,I would love to be part of your journey.
Link in bio.

28 4
Open post by by_valentina with ID 17949340839173898
After 15 years, so much of what I do is on autopilot. I look for the gorgeous light and read the baby. I know when to wait and when to act. And I do it without thinking. But the moment someone is beside me, watching, learning, everything slows down. I have to find words for things I stopped noticing years ago. And in doing that, I remember how it felt at the beginning. The insecurities. The fear of getting it wrong. The weight of feeling like you should already know. The comparison with others. Teaching reminds me how much courage it takes to learn something new and how gently we should treat ourselves while we do. If you are starting out, in any field, well done. Truly. I know how hard and lonely those first steps can be. But you don’t have to take them alone. And if you are a photographer thinking about a one to one newborn training day in my Twickenham studio,I would love to be part of your journey. Link in bio.
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VALE@PHOTOGRAPHYBYVALENTINA.COM

07577 978246

LONDON NEWBORN & MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHER

Based in Richmond, I work with families across London to capture life’s most meaningful milestones through portrait photography.