i am fascinated by the power of a photograph. photographs have been the catalyst for radical movements, have had the power to touch hearts and change minds. i’ve always loved learning history so it shouldn’t surprise me that i also love photography, which has the ability to be history in a visual format. documentary photography is just history in visual form.
as a kid i thought maybe i’d become a history teacher. i loved learning stories from the past and understanding how the past shaped the present. but i also loved the arts, things that i could see or hear or experience that would make me feel all the feelings. the way i would sit in my room and cry listening to people sing songs about things i’d never experienced. or the way i would write poem after poem just trying to make sense of and express my feelings.
it’s almost poetic that i grew up to become a photographer who is drawn to making visual works of art that document real moments in time. like i married two of my top interests in history and art to become a documentary photographer. throw in my childhood obsession with love and romance and being a documentary wedding photographer almost seems too spot on to be true.
one thing i learned while studying history is that any historic record will always be tinged with the point of view of the person recording that history. even if they’re trying to be objective. i understand that is no different in my role as a photographer. i see it as my duty to document moments in a way that feels true to how i perceived it. i want my photos to transport the viewer either back to a moment they experienced or to easily let them feel the energy of the moment and be able to imagine what the moment felt like, even if they weren’t there.
and when you have photographed weddings and families for as long as i have, you get tagged in your fair share of memorial posts, shared by past clients honoring or remembering someone they have loved and lost. it’s then that the weight of your work really starts to hit you. a really big reminder of why you do what you do, and why it is so important.
because when someone is gone, what do we have to remember them by?
as a visual person, a photo is what best takes me back in time. one photo and all the memories come flooding back. one good photo, and the feelings come flooding back as well.
my grandmother passed away last week at the age of 83. she was an incredible woman whom i adored. she was a talented quilter who taught me how to sew. she sewed literally thousands of quilts, often donating them to hospitals and people in need. i loved going to wendy’s with her. i spent a lot of time at her house in the summer while my cousin was living there. we’d have sleepovers, make barbie house outlines out of her fabric scraps, walk to the mall from her house. we’d play christmas bingo every year even as the extended family got far too big to manage. i was one of 32 grandchildren and feel so grateful that i was able to still experience so many beautiful and personal memories with my grandma. i am going to miss her very much.
i was struck by how soon after she died, requests for family members to add photos of her to an album came. i felt a lot of things looking at those photos; admiration, nostalgia… and regret of not taking more photos of her and with her.
but i am feeling a renewed sense of purpose, both in my photography work and in my life.
i want to continue to make photos that matter. i want to continue to make photos of real moments that will bring back real memories and stir real feelings for real people. i want to always keep in my heart the knowledge that my work has the ability to outlive me, and that photographs have the power of gaining more value over time. so in this season of thanksgiving, i am very thankful for my ability to share this gift with so many people. i think it is so important. and i appreciate you being here. <3