Informal Family Photo

Informant: Shauna and Kevin Soria, Eagle Idaho, May 25, 2013

Title: A Little Bit of Family Time/ Family Loving

Genre: Photo

Informant (who):

Kevin and Shauna Soria would be my parents who live in Eagle, Idaho. They are both 41 and attended Utah State University. My mom received her associate's degree in nursing. My dad however transferred to the University of Nevada Reno and earned his master's degree in business. My mom use to work as an orthopedic nurse, but with my ever so busy younger siblings she decided she was done working and wanted to be a mom. My dad on the other hand is very busy as the state sales coordinator of AFLAC in the state of Idaho. My parents absolutely love to travel and just spend time as a family whether it's going on spontaneous trips or playing board games. My dad's main hobbies consist of supporting his one and only Denver broncos and he also golfs on the regular basis. My mom is always in the kitchen making something incredibly delicious or she is working out. Overall my parents are great role models and love our family with every fiber of their being.

Context (where):

This photo was actually taken across the street in a forest section of our neighborhood. So the first image consists of all the members of my family. So, my younger brother David, my younger sister Alyssa, myself, my older brother Nathan, and then my mom and dad, Shauna and Kevin. This photograph is actually a huge portrait in my parent's house that is displayed over the fireplace and every time we are together as a family in the front room we see this picture. The second picture is a picture taken after my high school graduation. In the picture are my younger brother and sister, David and Alyssa, and then myself. This picture is definitely not displayed in my parent's home, rather it is an essential memory that describes that moment to perfection. To most people that end up seeing this photo it usually brings a smile or a small chuckle because everyone is striving for the perfect graduation picture and that definitely didn't happen.

Text (the Cultural Artifact itself-the item):

So the first photo consists of all the members of my family. One day my mom decided that we better have a photo of the whole family before my older brother left on his mission to Winnipeg, Canada. Anyway, we took some rather formal ones where everyone was posed, but then my little brother decided he was done with that. So he started to laugh uncontrollably which made everyone else laugh. The picture may seem kind of posed in some way or the other, but it really wasn't. The image that we are laughing is something that portrays my family rather well. In my home jokes are basically free game and we are all super competitive. Overall the photo illustrates my family to the point.

The second photo was a photo taken after my high school graduation. I was rather tired of taking photos and my siblings weren't in the mood either so when my dad snapped the photo he told everyone to smile. So, I put on a tired almost fake smile to just get the picture over with. Spontaneously my brother (who is such an independent, confident, and somewhat cocky little boy) decided to smile like a super model while my little sister sneezed like an elephant. It was one for the books and portrays that moment in time like no other picture.

Texture (how):

The first picture gives off the feeling of love and joy because of the smiles that are engrossed across our faces. With my mom's flared nostrils and my mouth wide open it is a picture that doesn't bring out our most flattering features, but it does symbolize the fun and crazy experiences we go through as a family. The second picture is just plain hilarious because my dad seriously wanted a nice, formal picture of my siblings and I and he definitely didn't get that. In fact, this picture is one that will always make me laugh especially because of my younger siblings and their personalities that shine through.

Meaning:
These photos symbolize the love that I have for my family because of the emotions that are expressed in each one. The first one more so then the second, but the second just goes to show that not everyone can be photogenic 24/7. These photos are history to our family so they are rather important I mean for goodness sakes one of the photos is hanging in our home. My family takes pride and joy in the first photo and is basically disgraced in the second. The first photo enhances the idea that families have fun together whereas the second is just embarrassing.