Thankful

A few thoughts on this Thanksgiving morning...

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same." 

I photograph beautiful families all the time, each with their own unique memory in my mind... and then I continue on in my work, adding to the client list, filling new appointments and cherishing an image or two from each of those sessions as they become a piece in my portfolio.  

However this spring, I had the opportunity to meet a beautiful family who did more than leave just a memory and who did more than add to my portfolio; they left a footprint on my heart and I will never, ever be the same.  

Their beauty wasn't just that they were pretty to look at; their beauty ran far deeper than picture perfect smiles. They loved and laughed out loud that afternoon, and they played and showered each other with affection -- which would make ANY photographer's job easy!  And the following day, the mother went in for treatment to fight the cancerous tumor that would eventually take her life.  

I knew this when I arrived, and not knowing what to expect (and tearing up at least 4 times on the drive to their home), I was completely distracted from the issue because they were so enthusiastic, so happy, and so full of LIFE, that I couldn't possibly feel sorrow.  And as I drove away that Sunday afternoon, I was angry at the world and its unfairness, that a family that in love with each other would have such an impossible battle on their hands.  That was May 5th.

In July while on vacation with my own family, I received a call that Stephanie Johnson had passed away.  I hung up and cried.  I had only met this woman once. I had only played with her family for two hours.  And yet, I was totally taken by emotion.  My lab rushed prints to them for the memorial service, and I burned CDs and shipped them immediately... anything to help ease the heartache, to send love to that beautiful family. 

I received countless thanks for those pictures... from friends and her family too, and I cried each time I received them.  And then I realized... Photography is not just a job.  It's not just an art.  Even more grand, it has the ability to give memories and moments to people that will last forever.  

Thank you Johnson family.  I am so very thankful for your footprint.

This is Greg Johnson's tribute to Stephanie with photos from that day: 

http://www.artistamedia.com/media/stephtribute2.wmv 

And here are a couple of my own favorites:

Love amidst the family chaos...

And really, would you want it any other way?  This family was so full of life, so full of energy, and the comedy of it all was icing on the cake!

Who ever said getting your pictures taken wasn't fun?

Shouldn't every morning find you this happy to hug your family?

The difference between moms and dads...

Well, if these images don't just show it perfectly....

Laughter is the best exercise...

Every now and then, you get a photo that makes you want to giggle out loud -- can't you just hear her laughter?  Now if I could just remember which joke I was telling....

Those lucky enough to be a sibling.....

"A sister smiles when one tells one's stories - for she knows where the decoration has been added."  I mean really, does it get this cute?!  I'm going to call my brother today.

We're in this thing together...

One of the greatest parts about working with families, is that I'm reminded at every shoot how we parents are so very similar in so many ways.... loving, playing, bickering, bribing, frustrated, in love, and wanting the very most for our kids... (and hoping that booger can be "photo-shopped" if possible? Of course! :) It's reassuring and comforting too, to know that we're not alone on this crazy roller coaster called parenthood.

Ok, I just might be talked into that 3rd baby after all!

I was literally covered in goosebumps after this photosession... gorgeous mom, loving couple, the cutest bump you ever did see, and a belly button that could keep you smiling for hours!  Yep, enough to make me consider another kid of my own.... I'm so moved by these beautiful pregnant mamas!

"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance."

Oh, the trials and tribulations of parenthood :) And it's oh, so worth it :)  I am so in love with this first image... and as I explained to the client, it would have been even more classic if she were licking her finger and rubbing dirt from his cheek! This family is so much fun to work with... sibling rivalry and giggles, rip sticks and sports equipment, and genuine comedy!  Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job?