Why I Love Photography
It occurred to me this last week that I never explained why I love photography- and that I should probably share that with you.
Why I Love Photography
I love photography for several reasons: it gives me a creative outlet, it provides me with challenges, its personally satisfying, and most importantly- for me anyway- it allows me to capture a single moment in time and preserve it forever.
Take the photo of my eldest son above for example. He was waving an American flag at our town’s 4th of July parade. It was probably the first parade he has a shot at remembering. He was playing with that flag- an innocent thing for a young child to do. I happened to turn around and take this photo at a moment that he was so engrossed in what he was doing, he wasn’t paying attention to me. He may, or may not remember this (he’s only four) experience later in his life, but because I captured this photo of a single precious moment, our family will have this record for not only the rest of my life, but his, and his children and grandchildren. He’ll be able to show his grandchildren a glimpse of what a smallish town 4th of July parade was like when he was a little boy.
And that, my friends, is why I love photography the most. Because I can preserve a single moment for the rest of time. Because I can help others preserve their memories for eternity. Because I can share the beautiful heritage of family portraits that I’ve been blessed with, with my clients.
Update 8/9/2023:
Wow! The editing on that photo did NOT hold up! Eh, what can I say? I was a newbie photographer, and just following the trends until I figured out my own editing style- which is still evolving, LOL! It’s sometimes rough to look back at these early blog posts, seeing my early work and reading my early posts. I was just starting out, trying to find my own voice, and mostly trying not to irritate the living daylights out of my friends and family by oversharing. What I should have posted was the following:
I have always loved photography. From the time I received my very first Kodak 110mm film camera at 5 years old, I became fascinated with taking the best, most beautiful photo I could of whatever was going on around me. It became a challenge, and as I grew up- gaining bigger, albeit not always better, cameras, I kept trying. I just KNEW there had to be a formula for creating beautiful photos. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with the process- of learning, of creating, and of showing the world the way I view it.
I am becoming a portrait and wedding photographer because I want to use my skills to help my clients tell their stories- stories of love, loss, and the bittersweet process of raising a family- in the most beautiful way possible. I want to help them tell those stories through a medium that will preserve those stories for generations to come- because, in all reality, who actually throws away a photo?
I know I treasure the photos my grandmother, and my mother took of me and my brother while we were growing up, but some of the photos I treasure most are the formal ones that we all posed for, showing how our family had grown and changed. I want to be able to provide those types of photos to my clients- photos that they’ll hang on their walls, Grandma will put in her brag book, and that they’ll be proud to use on their Christmas card.
But, I didn’t because I was WAY more tongue-tied, nervous, and shy than I am now. Which is why you’re getting an update on this post. So that I can say the things I wanted to say, but didn’t know how to say. I still love photography for all of these reasons, and so many more. And I’m still a professional wedding and portrait photographer. And I’d love to document your family’s memories for you!