This post is a bit emotional for me. I recently shared with a ladies business group about why I feel photography is important, and not just for big happy events like weddings. I shared these feelings shortly after suddenly losing a good friend and realizing that I did not have a SINGLE EFFING photo of him. sigh…sorry for the outburst. I still think about calling to tell him about the great veggies we’re getting in our box this week and I still double-take when I think I see him pass me in a car (which happened today).
It made me think of all the times that we don’t think something is important enough to capture it; while at the same time remembering to be present in the moment with those we care about instead of dorking around on our phones. This is where a professional photographer is your best friend. We will capture the full experience – giving you space to actually experience it. Whether this is including everyone (I’m looking at you parents) in your next family portrait, crying while your daughter says her vows, the miracle of new life, or laying a loved one to rest.
This year has already offered a wide range of new photography topics for me. I have had the opportunity to photograph a water birth and have also taken portraits of an older couple because the husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer. At both sessions I thought about the importance of the work I was doing, the impact it would have in the future for these families, and what a gift it would be for them to remember this moment by. In both cases I can honestly say that I felt so blessed to be trusted with capturing a pivotal moment in their lives. Last week I got a thank you card from the older couple expressing the perfect timing of our session together because his treatment would have made it impossible to do now. I recently got hired to photograph a small graveside funeral service. At first I was surprised because funerals are a mournful and intimate time for family and friends. But just as we celebrate life and the joining of families, we must also celebrate the life someone has lived when they pass. It was interesting to observe the service as an outsider, to notice the differences in one funeral vs another, and to be as discrete as possible in a very quiet yet open place.
The wedding and portraits sides of my business have two separate “mottoes” and I feel that the portrait motto is especially relevant here: “Every moment is worth capturing.” 
[…] diagnosed with terminal cancer and he would begin treatment the following week. As I mentioned in a previous post this session came with a host of mixed feelings. I was saddened by the concept that her Dad was […]