Why do you do what you do? - Part 2
When it comes to photography, there are so many different avenues you can take: weddings, portraits, real estate, landscapes, newborns, and the list goes on. Choosing the path you want to take can be really difficult.
I knew pretty early on that I wanted to work with people in my photos. I loved landscapes and nature photography (and still do!), but I found that those didn’t spark the same reaction/emotion as my photos with people.
Weddings, engagements, seniors and families seemed like the routes I should take if I wanted to work with people. But I needed a “why” for these decisions. What is so important about these that they make me want to capture them?
My generic answer is they all represent important moments in life. Moments that deserve to be captured. But each reason goes a little deeper than just that.
Families & Seniors
Families are ever-changing and growing. I personally love looking back on my old family photos. It helps me remember where I came from, and it brings back lots of childhood memories.
There’s also so much love in a family. Love that started between two people and grew over time into an entire family. I think it’s important to capture the love in a family relationship. Family is often what shapes you into who you become as a person.
High school seniors are especially important to capture. High school provides four years of memories, and your senior year of high school is a big year. It’s a year where you don’t feel like a kid anymore, but you also don’t feel like an adult quite yet. It’s this weird in-between stage where you’re trying to figure out who you want to become and at the same time celebrating who you are.
Engagements
My husband and I were engaged for less than eight months before our wedding. Such a short time-frame! But it’s an incredibly important part of life I want to remember. There’s a certain feeling during your engagement that wasn’t there when you were dating, and it changes once you’re married (a good change, of course!). It’s giddy and dreamy and excited for what’s to come. It’s so full of love and looking forward to spending forever together. All feelings that should be remembered.
Weddings
Where do I even begin with weddings? It’s like everything from above combined, and SO much more. Weddings are special. Not just because of the love between the bride and the groom. And not just because of the vows they’re making to one another before God and all of their family and friends. Marriage is so much more than that. It represents God’s love for his people. It represents Jesus’ second coming for his bride (the church). And it’s a celebration of ALL of it.
There’s so much happening in a wedding and so much symbolism for something deeper – it’s these deeper meanings of weddings that give me my “why” for them.
I want my clients to know that when I serve them, I’m truly celebrating with them. I don’t do this just because I love photography. I don’t do this just because I love to see people smile. I don’t do this just because weddings are pretty and love is grand. I do this because I understand there are deeper meanings in each stage of life, and I want to help you remember them – remember the love of your family, those (sometimes pesky) high school years, the excitement in the waiting during your engagement, and the precious vows made on your wedding day.
That’s why I do what I do. 💕
Oh, P.S. If you’re curious about the whole “marriage representing Jesus’ love for the church” thing, check out this video by Mike Donehey on The Last Supper. It gives me chills every time I watch.