It is not because I want to create beautiful images.  That can be done everytime I take a new client or when I shoot for myself. (Plus, beautiful imagery is in the eye of the viewer or image maker) And I actually love the moments in-between the moments. I love to stop time and allow the bride and groom to see the happiness in all the other faces the they miss in that whirlwind of a day.  

It is not because I love running around for ten to twelve hours on hot and humid days.

And it is not because I have nothing else to do on any given weekend.

It is because of the emotions that run wild during such an event. It is because it is one of the few times that everyone is just present in the moment. I am allowed the unique opportunity to capture a very special moment in their lives. And I am rewarded with knowing that everyone involved within the wedding will be looking back on the images I take five, ten and even thirty plus years down the road.  I love knowing that! 

And lastly, I get to experience these moments with two very good friends who are also very good photographers. I have a pretty great life!

This session with Lexie was taken back in February of 2016. May have been the coldest day I have done a portrait shoot outside. It was around 5 degrees out.  (I digress.)

After looking a the initial edits of the session I decided to go back and do a little better.  The original bits were okay but after learning a little more about my Mamiya 645DF I have picked up a few tweaks to make things look a bit more snappy…or just down right better.  I really enjoyed these and I thought they needed tweaked to give them justice. 

I also originally thought these would be in black&white. I decided that color was the way to finish them. If you know me at all you know I am a total black&white shooter and prefer b&w over color images. In this case, however, color was a must. 

Sometimes.  Sometimes we need to go back to our older sessions and look at them like they are new.  Sometimes you get a whole now outlook. I am glad I did that with this session. 

   Definition of gratitude: the state of being grateful : thankfulness ( Merriam-Webster)

Nothing brings warmth to my heart than receiving a hand written note thanking me for something I have done, a wedding I had photographed or just a normal portrait that I had delivered a week earlier.  There is something about the written word that Facebook, Twitter or Instagram cannot convey.  It is the personal touch.  Someone took time and effort to sit down and reflect a little on what I did for them or with them. (as a side note, I have received many emails and warm wishes on the next part of my journey. For that I am very thankful to all of you)

This image was taken rather quickly and was more of a trial run than anything else.  I took the images, printed a handful of “proofs” and dropped them off in their mailbox. That evening I received a very kind text message with an invite for breakfast and a piece of art to choose from their house. In this case the art is just as personal as a written note. Again, gratitude.

Lastly, there is another way I enjoy witnessing gratitude. Tears. 

People see “photography” everyday online. Facebook and Instagram to name a select few. You can’t truly see the texture and depth in an image on a screen. Nor can you feel or touch a loved one’s image from your phone. Images are meant to be living things and are to be shared across a table or from one couch to another. 

The tangible print is as important as a hand written note. 

140 characters just are just that, characters. But a handwritten note can warm your heart and feed your soul. 

A screen capture of a photo is just that as well, just a bunch of pixels on a cold screen. But a tangible image on real photographic paper will be handed down for generations to come. You can feel, smell and interact with real prints and photographs with tears and laughter.  

Gratitude can be shown and given in many ways. Having you or your family photographed  by a photographer and ordering wall portraits and an album to give to your family as an heirloom. Home cooking for friends, an invitation for friends to join you in your home for nothing more than laughs and fun. Perhaps sending a favorite book to someone, a phone call or just a handwritten note.