Take a look at these images for me. Just humor me if you will…. 😉
.jpg "Father and daughter picture")
.jpg "toddler and newborn photo")
What was it that you may have noticed? Smiling? Connections? Love?
This December 2011, my father-in-law passed away. At about 1:30am we got a call that he had collapsed and was being rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Sadly, he didn’t survive. It was sudden and it threw my husband and our family into preparing for a funeral when we had originally been planning on getting together for Christmas. Do you know what brought laughter into those intense moments of grief? Pictures.
Yes, we saw my father-in-law’s posed baby portrait and senior portrait. While those were nice, the ones that brought memories, laughter and a break from the grief were the ones that showed emotion, connection and realness. My husband made a slideshow to music with images from his Dad’s life. Amidst the sadness of a funeral, people crowded around pictures and that slideshow and were able to reminisce and laugh.
As a photographer, I see many types of photography. Each photographer has their art, their style, their passion. I love curled, sleepy newborn images. I also adore natural connections between families (and I know families love these too!) This year, my personal & professional goal is the refine and develop this even more as my style of photography. I showcase a lot of posed newborn images on my blog & website, but often within each client’s session are images of parent’s cuddling their newborn or families together (in their private on-line galleries). Whether it is a child and parent, new parents and their newborn, a family together, or a couple expecting their new baby…. life is about our relationships with each other. I am so excited for this year!
Jill is a professional photographer specializing in Maternity, birth, newborn, baby, child and family photography in the Greater Milwaukee, Appleton and Madison, Wisconsin areas.
Julia - Jill, I am so sorry for your loss and am so happy that you were able to find something good through it. I think your goal for 2012 is wonderful and it has inspired me 😉
Maggie - Yes, yes, yes!
A related goal for me is to make sure clients realize the important archival role of paper prints. We lost my grandmother shortly before Christmas and it struck me how much time we spent poring over the photo albums and boxes of snapshots. I just can’t imagine families sitting around remembering and celebrating a life in the same way around a computer with only digital image files.
Joanna - Photography keeps memories for a lifetime – wonderful goal Jill!
Suzyb - that is a wonderful goal Jill! And as always these images are so beautiful! I’m more than certain that they will remind these families for the rest of their ever of the love that filled their life