Saying goodbye through photos
One of the many aspects of my job that I love is the relationships I get to build with my clients, and the fact that many of them become friends. Such is the case with Maureen, a wedding client whose larger-than-life image dominated my storefront window at my past Northfield studio, whose nuptial photos graced my business cards for more than a year and whose presence was recently made at my wife's baby shower (she's obviously become a friend).
Once that relationship is established and trust is earned, I, as a photographer, get the great pleasure of getting to take part in some truly amazing life moments. Maureen contacted me awhile back saying that the difficult economic environment had forced her to make an even more difficult decision, that to give up her horse and cherished friend, Hannah. Before she did so, she wanted to honor their relationship through pictures, and requested that I create the images. I was honored, excited and a bit apprehensive. After all, it promised to be an emotional event.
What I didn't realize until moments after our session was complete was that Hannah was moving to her new (and positively Rockwellian) home immediately and that I was actually about to see the last goodbye. While I witnessed the event, some things are simply best left in memory and not immortalized in photos. Hannah was visibly stirred by the situation and seemed to have a keen awareness for what was taking place. Instead, we have radiant images to celebrate the bond between a woman and her equine friend.
