07/16/2026
The emotions behind being a photographer. This is something that’s not talked about nearly enough.
We sit down and edit a gallery and we are in awww and smile and laugh (yes even out loud) at all of the sweet and funny moments…. but we also cry. We cry because sometimes we edit a gallery and we see those emotions from others… the happy tears, the sad tears, the looks of trying to hold it all together for that moment.
We also sometimes get messages before we even finish a gallery, that someone in that gallery has passed away.
We capture what may have been some of their last tears of joy, hugs, laughs, dances, smiles, jokes and winks from across the room, and even handshakes. We will sit there and look through that gallery for hours…shedding our own tears.
We know that when you open that gallery, these images are going to be one of your most prized possessions from that day simply because it is of them.
We don’t really think of it at the moment because we are there helping you catch the moments, but when we start editing that gallery, we are filled with emotion.
We start thinking about our own kids, grandparents, parents, etc…. We think about how much we would cherish images of them in the tiniest of moments. It doesn’t seem like such a big deal, but when that is all that is left of them, it means the world.
Life taught me that time passes too quickly and there may not ever be a tomorrow….being a photographer taught me that no matter how big or small or messy a moment may seem, it is always big to someone when they open that gallery. It is a moment that they will revisit over and over again…a simple image that you could never put a price on.
At the end of the day, it will never matter the amount of money you spent on the wedding, how unorganized the family outfits are, how your child just wanted to play instead of being in front of the camera, how you messed up on the first dance, how you stuttered when saying your vows, or even how nervous you are taking the photos.
What will matter is the people that were in them… the memories that you shared…the laughs that are corky and contagious…the hugs that are so tight you about lose oxygen, the meaningful conversations, the looks of admiration from your husband, the tiny hands that you hold and the smiles from your children like you are their favorite super hero.
Yes! We notice all of those things!
This is exactly why I shoot the way that I do… the unrushed moments… the intimate details… the Yes! Please bring your family along and your dog too! One ordinary or even crazy filled moment may be a cherished lifetime memory.
This career has never been about the beautiful images or the money or even the magazines…it’s always been about the people and giving them something that money could never buy… a memory that can be looked back on and cherished when that’s all that there is left.
Emotion filled pictures for tax 🥰🥰🥰
