As an ICU nurse I am frequently reminded of how fragile life is. Last night was no exception as I watched a patient slowly leave this world to enter the next. I watched his family spend their last few moments with him and say their final goodbyes. I watched and waited, helpless to do anything despite the great advancements we’ve made in science and medicine. I was reminded of how little control we really have over life and death, considering most of my time as a nurse is spent doing everything possible to save lives. I am grateful as a nurse to be such an intimate part of so many lives.
As a photographer of life, I am humbled by this experience. I have the great responsibility to document the celebration of life and the opportunity to preserve those memories. We never know what tomorrow will bring or when our loved ones will be taken from us, but we will always have the photographs to cherish that life and time spent with us.
This is why I am a lifestyle photographer. I photograph life - in context. I photograph people to capture their essence and the relationships between people. Photography to me is not always about the perfect light, perfect exposure, tack sharp images and all the technical stuff (even though that stuff is important!). It’s about the story behind the image, the context of life in which it was shot. It’s the way a man in love gazes at his bride-to-be, the glow of a pregnant woman and the look in her eyes as she stares at her newborn baby, the pride of raising a child and the accomplishment and finishing high school.
These relationships are the stories we create in life and the legacy we want to leave behind. These are the images I strive to capture. As you browse my favorite images, the ones that move and inspire me, you will not always see the faces of my subjects. In fact, if you do see the face it’s probably not looking straight at the camera and smiling. I love emotion - laughing, crying, surprised, angry - it’s what adds life to images and context to the memory. Drab images of anyone looking straight at the camera and forcing a fake smile really don’t do it for me, no matter how attractive the person is.
I’ve been asked on many occasions: Where should we go to get the best photos? How should we sit or stand? Should we hold hands for a better picture? Should we kiss? What if we’re not kissers? How can I get my child to sit down and smile? My answer is simply that I don’t really have the answers to those questions. I don’t want the answers. I want to photograph your life and your passion, not just use you to create an imaginary, idealistic life in pictures. I want your images to remind you of how you felt during this time in your life, not just what you wore and how you combed your hair. So go for the kiss on the forehead or cheek instead, the not-so-sly-yet-intimate-and-sexy glances at each other, the giggles as well as the drool and tears of your baby, let your child run, play and explore and you’ll love the powerful images I can capture when she isn’t sitting pretty and smiling at me. Be yourself - you are my inspiration. Your life in context is my passion. Your relationships are the basis of my creations. How you share your life with others is my obsession and I love every minute of it. Our Lifestyle Portraits are just that - the style of your life and not simply another snapshot. I feel blessed to be able to preserve these most precious memories of your life for you.
I would urge everyone who reads this to think about what memories you are preserving in your photographs - is it just what your loved one looked like, or is it your relationship with that person and a life in context?
