Authentic Family Photography Gets Real. Real Fast.
Sometimes moments happen when you’re not expecting it.
Yes, this is real. This is my why.
Let’s start with a story. Not exactly about authentic family photography, but we’ll get there.
As usual, I wanted to chop it down, get rid of it, be done with it. My husband, who would be doing the proposed chopping, had other ideas. This back and forth isn’t unusual in our long-term marriage.
“I know it doesn’t look good now, but honeysuckle grows like a weed.” he stated. Fast enough to cover the supporting iron trellis that was deformed beyond recognition by a winter of ice, rain, and more ice? I wondered. And to have it grow back to obscure the view I have from my kitchen window again? I think not.
Since using heavy duty power tools is beyond my skill set, I had to concede this battle and move on to other spring chores around the yard.
As much as I hate to admit it, when spring turned to summer the honeysuckle sprang to life, overtaking the crotchety old trellis with an explosion of gorgeous leaves and red flowers.
And, although I didn’t admit it to my husband, I was a little happy to look out my window and see it every day.
Much to my surprise, a family of teeny tiny hummingbirds were also thrilled with the resurgence of the honeysuckle. They darted around, sticking their beaks in the flowers, always a strange combination of nerves and grace.
They fascinated me. They drew me into their tiny lives. More dishes? No problem, maybe I’ll see my flying friends again.
Isn’t it funny how you sometimes stumble upon sublime beauty in the most mundane parts of your life?
Now, the photography part.
A few weeks ago my husband and I were stuck on the Merritt Parkway on our way to a day of photo mini sessions at Waveny Park. We had done this, and other photo sessions, many times before.
Sure, I love the families I have the honor of photographing, but was I looking forward to this with the anticipation of a few years ago when I was starting out? Nope. And the freaking traffic, now barely inching along. The work ahead, the rushing… Truthfully, I just wanted to be done with it.
Finally, I parked, gathered my gear and sprinted to meet my first clients of the afternoon, who had been patiently waiting for us for 15 minutes. Lucky for me, these were clients from way way back, and they knew the drill. Always fun, always ready to go.
Bonus pressure! Today someone new was with them. The dad had told me a few weeks prior that he was engaged to his girlfriend, who I had photographed with them previously. Great! The more the merrier, hop right in, let’s get this done, and move on to the next session.
I yelled out my commands: Let’s photograph you all together, let’s photograph just the kids, let’s photograph dad and his fiancee. And then, quite out of the blue, through the stress and the sweat, the honeysuckle grew back and the hummingbirds appeared.
Here’s THE Moment.
The new couple looked into each other’s eyes, they held each other, and they laughed. Not they old married people “I told you so” kind of laugh, but the real, sublime deep connection kind of laugh. Not to mention the kiss… Wow.
I got to witness a truly authentic, sincere, and profoundly real moment between two people. What a surprise. What a gift.
When you’re rushing through your life trying to get things done, get it off the list, get through it all, it’s awesome to be reminded of the WHY. As a busy family photographer it’s super easy to skip over the emotions I see every time I work. It is to me, after all, work. But sometimes, it’s something more.
And yes, even though it’s stressful, and there’s traffic, and I just want to be done with it, I’ll let it grow back every spring. Hopefully the hummingbirds will return too.
