Family photos are are a disaster and major pain for all the years we have to put up with them. There’s a brief period between college and marriage for freedom from portrait obligation, but they come back full force once we start families. Worse, family portraits come back and we’re the ones that want them. If Awkward Family Photos isn’t enough evidence, have a quick look through some old family albums. The results aren’t pretty, but they’re a big excuse to come together as a family for one day. They’re evidence that your family exists, and despite how terrible some family pictures can be, they capture some pretty good times in life.

Many families, however, have to work long distance. This isn’t new. In fact, America is built on generations of families separated by the pull of new opportunity. Distance is hard, but thankfully technology has eased some of the difficulty. Telephones, e-mail, instant message and more make it possible to stay in contact every single day. Our favorite pieces of tech are the closest approximation some family members can have to actually being with the loved ones they miss. Now Skype’s not only made it possible to have a video conversation across the globe, but bring family members together in a different way. John Clang, a New York-based photographer wanted family portraits to be possible for those who were separated by space.

His portraits use Skype’s live-feed function to project family members a long distance away against a blank wall, so that they can pose with the rest of their family. The project is called Being Together and it encapsules the feeling of missing someone so well. Clang’s portraits are a clever idea executed with a touch of creativity, sentimentality, love, and respect. Clang himself was inspired by the time he spent separated from his own family, which lives in Singapore.  Each portrait, big or small, could make anyone sentimental for their childhood home, and Clang’s work is evidence of just how wonderful technology could be in our lives.

Check out more at the artist’s website here!

 

[Via My Modern Met]