“You think you will never forget any of this,
you will remember it always just the way it was.
But you can’t remember it the way it was.
To know it, you have to be living in the presence of it right as it is happening…
And so you have a life that you are living only now,
now and now and now, gone before you can speak of it,
and you must be thankful for living day by day,
moment by moment, in this presence.” — wendell berry
This past weekend, I attended a photographers conference in Utah. It’s so important for me to get away annually to be refreshed and inspired by other artists. To take a step back from my work to evaluate process and vision.
One of my favorite sessions was on the art of authentic storytelling. The speaker, Ginny Au, started her talk posing this question : How are we using imagery to help our clients remember what their life was like, not just what they looked like? As she went on, I felt this growing thrill in my heart that echoed the culmination of the changes I’ve made over the past year or two with Penny Gray and photographing families.
This is what I want to give every time you hire me :
The gift of being able to look back and remember your life as it was.
This is why I recommend photographing in an environment where you’re most comfortable. This is why I want to hear all about your favorite activities as a family and how you spend your free time. This is why I ask what you love about your children, and what you want to remember. I want to capture the moments and interactions and touches and expressions that breathe joy and beauty into your daily routine. Be it those first fragile, exhausted days of being new parents, the non-stop action that is life with a toddler or the three-ring circus when there’s multiple little people running around. This is what I’m most passionate about. These are the days. I want you have tangible memories of them.
I felt like this session was such a lovely example of everything I’m hoping to achieve… a cozy, snowy morning together that started in p.j.’s and included some of miss Campbell’s current favorite things : a bath, lots of books, a bottle break, snuggles and cruising around the house. It was kinda the best.
Do you feel like this season is slipping through your fingers in the blur of busy? Want to spend a slow Saturday morning together to freeze this time to remember for always… Let’s talk.