My dear sweet mama shared this photo a few weeks back and I had to snag it from her page, because it rings very true to me for a lot of reasons.
I know, I know, there are times when it feels like as a society, we take too many photos, or that we're taking a lot of photos that don't have substance. Social media and smart phones have made this pretty easy for us so sometimes we all tend to get carried away. People often times are so worried about getting a photo that they might get in the way at an important event (*cough* wedding guests who worry more about taking cell phone photos than enjoying the moment and end up blocking shots and getting in the way *cough*). We all like to tease people who post a ton of selfies or take a zillion pictures of their lunches (hashtag YUM). Yes, it's fun to joke with people who take like 50 photos in a row of their cat or dog doing something cute (I totally do this and I refuse to apologize because LOOK HE'S WEARING A LITTLE HAT AND SITTING IN A BOX), and sometimes you might find yourself semi-exasperated at a friend who posts hourly photos of their kids or who overshares a bit sometimes. I get it, and we're all guilty of this stuff now and then. But here's my thought for all of us: just take the photos.
Seriously.
Take. The. Photos.
Even if you only take them for yourselves and never post or share them. Even if you're just taking a quick shot with your phone. Even if you have a decent camera but don't know for sure how to use it--just give it a shot (ha ha, camera pun) and see what happens because you might be surprised. Even if you feel like you're having a bad hair day. Just do it. And I'm not just saying this because I'm a photographer--I'm saying it as a person who appreciates pictures of all kinds, a person who lives and breathes this industry and knows the value in having the perfect photo, and a person who knows the devastation in wishing you had just a few more photos to look at after a day is done, an event is over, or a person is no longer in this plane of existence. There are going to be years when you are able to have professional portraits, and there are going to be years where you can't or don't want to do that. And that's okay. I had a client this year who was booked for holiday portraits but ended up not being able to keep her session, and she was sad about this and worried I'd be upset with her when she called to cancel. I said to her what I always say when something like this comes up: "I love being able to photograph your family and I'll be happy to do that whenever you need and want me to, but sometimes it just doesn't work out, and that's cool. I'm not going anywhere so whenever you want to do a session again, you know how to find me, but just make sure you take some photos this year, even if you just have someone take one of you guys with your phone. I care less about being the one to take the photo than I do about the idea that the photo exists to begin with. Your kids are only little for so long so take some good shots of them, and I can't wait to see what you get."
My dear sweet crazy Grandma Sandy passed away this year after a battle with cancer. She was funny and quirky and beautiful, and it's still really weird to me that she's gone. We didn't know she was sick until early in the year, and if there's a silver lining in the situation, it's that she didn't suffer long--she died in early April with my grandpa right there by her side. I miss her every day. Had I known that she was going to get sick and pass away, I would have done a better job of getting photos of just her and I together a few years ago when I was shooting my brother's wedding in Colorado, but as I was working and running around like a woman possessed the way I always do at weddings (my brides and grooms can vouch for this), I didn't manage to have a photo taken of just the two of us. Thankfully I have a photo of the whole family that I'm in, but I didn't get any of just me and her, and I should have. That is something I can't change, but if anything, it's hopefully a lesson that might permeate my pea-brain about never assuming you have more time with a person, because sometimes, you just don't.
Take the photos. Use your cameras and your phones. Take your selfies, photograph your sandwiches, share those baby and wedding and cat and dog photos to your heart's content, and don't let anyone tell you to do otherwise. Don't let yourself come to a point where you wish you had and the opportunity is gone. And if you've given me the opportunity to photograph you at any point, please know that I truly consider it an honor and I am grateful, so I thank you.
Photos matter; I can't wait to see yours.
