There will be no portrait photos in this post. This letter wasn’t mailed – it was at my doorstep when I got home a couple months ago. I read it, I cried, and read it again – probably a hundred times by now. It wasn’t easy to read – and honestly, as much as it validates what I do for a living – I wasn’t sure I was going to share it either. If you choose to read through the letter, you will know why I’ve finally chosen to share it.
July 2nd, 2011
Jeanine -
Today I am writing for a couple of reasons. I have some quiet time at the moment and need to get a couple of things off my mind. I will leave this for my husband to deliver to you when he is ready.
You photographed my wedding, you photographed my first pregnancy and my first baby. I contacted you awhile back to photograph my 2nd child and family. After getting prices and realizing I would want all of the pictures as we love your work – I decided against spending $500+ – which is what I normally spend for portraits and prints with you.. Please know it is not because I don’t value your amazing eye, or how much we love the experience.
That week that I decided to NOT do a session with you, this is how I spent some money.
On Sunday I called and cancelled our session. Monday I went out and got my hair cut ($39+tip), and colored ($65), Thursday I had my nails done ($24), my family went out to dinner at a somewhat expensive restaurant for no particular reason costing us $79 + tip. This was just 4 days since canceling our session, already totaling over $200 for un necessary things. My nails only lasted about 2 weeks, my hair is gone, and seven weeks passed when I got the phone call from our doctor. It was not something I expected and the cancer has spread very quickly. I will be leaving my husband, my 6 year old girl and my now 2 year old – not by choice. It is very hard for me to talk about it which is why I need to write you.
I watch your Facebook page and your posts about the value of a photo and if I could give back all of those things that I purchased this few weeks after I cancelled my session with you, knowing what I know now, and have that session, well… I would do it in a heartbeat.
Now my time is done and there are no more chances for me. The next time someone cancels a session – my wish is that you forward this letter to them. Time is fragile, it is gone before you know you had it. If you charged $200 for one print it wouldn’t be enough for what it is actually worth. I cringe to think that my priorities were a manicure over a memory to pass onto my babies and husband.
My love and thanks for what you have given us from past photos. I am so sorry that I did not see it as more than paper until now.
Karen L"
The unfortunate thing, is this letter is very true and very real for many people; including me. My father passed away this last year before I turned 30. While he has always been back and forth between being sick and not my whole life, we were not expecting him to die when he did. It was a huge shock and is still hard for me to believe a man so full of life, such a strong influence in my life is just gone. About 6 months or so before he died, he wanted to get family photos taken of him, my mom and my family together. We never did them and now we will never have a chance to. I carry this with me every time I capture a family with my camera, the smiles, the love, the laughter...all of it. I respect these moments so much because I know how important they are. They are worth more then the money we spend on them. They are worth more then we realize when we take them. Like it is stated above, portraits truly are more then paper.
I urge you to remember that life can change within a blink of an eye and we don't always get another chance to have these moments captured. I mean all of these words very sincerely, as I sit here writing them with tears in my eyes. I love what I do, I love my clients and I love that I get to provide something so special and meaningful to families. If it isn't me who captures these moments for you, I ask you to find someone who's work speaks to you and save up if you need to. Snapshots are great to have as well, but I wish I had more good photos that I enjoyed looking at of all of us.
This photo is of both of my parents walking me down the isle at my wedding in 2005. While the photo is not very good quality, it is one of the last photos I have of my dad, my mom and I. I wish I had more. I wish I had some of my children with my dad and all of us together. Don't be like me, or this poor woman that wrote the letter above. Don't put it off. Every year people change, grow older, and life happens.
