Awkward Family Portraits by Morten Borgestad

The “Awkward Family Photos” meme has spread across the globe like wildfire in the recent years, and just as I thought I’d had enough of it and I couldn’t possibly handle another version, along comes this hilarious series by Morten Borgestad.

Originally trained as an art director, Borgestad is an Oslo-based photographer who’s created these images as ad campaign for the Norwegian telephone company, Telenor Mobils. The campaign highlights a plan tailored for families with kids under the age of 21. Which explains the youngster who’s looking at his phone in every single image. Or did you completely miss that like I had the first time, because I was too busy checking out the immense awkwardness of the poses, the clothes, the hair, the background sets…? It’s all too clever, and I’m sure most of us can relate to at least one of the elements shown here when digging though our own family photos. Or are you guys all too cool to have any daggy photos in the family album? Geez, I certainly hope not, because I’m not sure we should be friends if you’re that cool! But all is not lost. If you truly don’t have any shit family photos, perhaps you could use this upcoming break as an opportunity to take some awkward shots with your nearest and dearest. What do you reckon? Yes! Do it! Most of my favourite photos, the ones that make me laugh until my belly hurts, are precisely the ones where I look like a squashed pancake, or everyone’s pulling a strange face mid-chew, or something… In today’s world obsessed with perfection, the-less-than-perfect photo that capture a real moment in time (or a funny pose) by far outlives the meticulously constructed selfie, complete with an awkward lean and a Blue Steel-inspired grimace, or whatever.

On that note, I hope you all have a fantastic break, a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of Holidays. This is our last regular post for the year. In the coming weeks we will continue to bring you roundups of various topics and categories covered on Yellowtrace, and give you the chance to catch up on 2016 and all the awesomeness we’ve shared together.

The roundup posts will run daily from Monday 19th December through to Friday 13th January. Team Yellowtrace will be back on deck and resume our regular posting from Monday 16th January.

Now off you go, have a great time, and hope you manage to shut out the rest of the world for a little bit during the break, while you give and receive the ultimate gift of love – time and undivided attention. Yes, that means don’t be like the kid in these images and get off your bloody phone! Unless you’re reading Yellowtrace… In which case – as you were, soldier.

Love always,
Mama Yellowtrace xx