This session is a bit of a tearjerker for me. As some of you know from Facebook, a couple of weeks ago I photographed my friend who is terminal with Cancer. As I know some of my readers don’t follow Facebook, I wanted to share my feelings in regards to this particular session.
Have you ever said, “I’ll have my picture taken when I lose some weight” or something similar? As an overweight person, I have said this. As a photographer, I’ve heard excuses like this (and others) many, many times.
I want to share with you some thoughts about this that have been on my mind a lot over the past few weeks.
As mentioned above, my friend is terminal with cancer. One of our fellow friends suggested that she have photos taken with her kids. Initially, she didn’t want to do it. She doesn’t like that she’s lost hair, she didn’t want her tumor showing, she was worried about how healthy she looked and more. After much persuasion, our friend got her to realize, the photos are not for her. They are for her kids. Her beautiful daughters don’t notice any of these things. They see their beautiful mother as she is. Perfect.
I think we all should evaluate what photographs really mean to us. When I see photos of those I have loved/or love, I see their personality. I see our experiences. I see my memories.
If I feel this about the people I love, wouldn’t those people feel the same about pictures of me? Should my children/grandchildren have photos of me regardless of my personal hang ups? As much as it pains me to admit, yes. It may not be easy to take them, but they are important.
We can’t always predict how long we’ll be with our loved ones. So, we need to take advantage of our opportunities with them now. Keeping this in mind, I have decided to do this personal challenge. Every year, regardless of my weight, hair or other excuses, I will have family photos taken. I will play and interact with my kids, and they will have memories of me that they can pass down through the generations. It’s time to let go of my ego.
The response I received from this message on Facebook was astounding. It touched me that the bravery of my friend has inspired so many people to accept the same challenge. I extend this challenge to the readers of my blog too. Find a photographer who you connect with and make sure you have pictures every year. Let go of your ego. You’re loved ones will be so grateful later.















