WHY I'm STILL A Photographer { Silver Lane, A Military Family Photographer}

For those of you who know me, you probably have heard this story. I’ve never shared it on such a public platform, though. I will say this is not easy to do but I think it’s important that my clients and fans understand WHY it is I do photography and WHY I see the value of pictures.

I often get called “just a photographer” and if I had a dollar for every time I hear “Those are really nice pictures. What kind of camera do you have?” I could probably shoot for free.  I use to be one of these people, too. I didn’t understand the value of a picture, or even what it took to take a great image. I’d even say I didn’t understand it my first year of business. **GASP** Yes, I said it. I was a photographer and I didn’t understand the value of pictures.

All of that changed on October 29, 2011. Before I can tell you the end I have to back pedal a bit and tell you that a week before, on October 22, 2011, this country lost a HERO. A true hero; an American hero. If you are unfamiliar with this story you can find it here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/tk_n_1035286.html

My dear friend had lost her husband in the very real war that men are still fighting in to this day. To say this was a low point in my life doesn’t do it justice. I watched the mourning that took place, and dealt with death for the first time. Of course I’ve had family members pass, but for me they had all lived a long and fulfilling life. This was the first time that “gone to soon” was something I had to say.  It was the first time I had to explain death to my children because their friends’ daddy was never coming home.

After Kris’ death, I decided I was done; no more photography for me. I was still highly emotional from the news and I was pregnant. Why that was in my thoughts, I’m not sure.  I was dealing with a lot and I was angry. Angry at the world, and in a place of mourning myself.  The night I decided to quit I said a little prayer…I asked God to show me what it is that I am meant to do. I asked him to show me how I can help my friend and others. It was a “show me the way” prayer.

The next morning I awoke to a voice-mail from the photo editor at PEOPLE magazine. They wanted to use my picture in a story about Kris. I didn't even believe it was real at first. Why my picture? I thought “My images aren't good enough to be in a magazine.”  I told you Sarah was my dear friend but I didn’t tell you how we became friends. I had the honor of taking their family pictures. With a new baby, it was their only complete family picture.  PEOPLE wanted this picture, and in that very moment I realized a picture’s worth. I’m not talking money here; I’m talking emotional, memorial value.

I took their only professional family picture! Then, I began to think that I didn’t have a professional family picture of my own family. The reality that life can be taken from us at any moment and all we have left are memories and pictures hit, and it hit HARD! I made a promise to myself that I would not only have family pictures taken of my own family but that I would try to share the value of pictures with others. I became driven to not only progress in my knowledge of photography, but to also share it with as many people as possible!  I decided to really dig into photography and try to learn as much as possible so that I could produce amazing images for all of my clients so that, when they look back for whatever reason, they can see and feel what that moment was like; they will have a memory captured forever.

I don’t take pictures because it’s fun, or for money. I take them because they are memories, and because I know that even if, in the moment, they don’t mean much, one day they will mean the world to you!

6 months later I had our first professional family images taken by the lovely Sarah Fuccillo (http://sarahfuccillophotography.blogspot.com/) of Sumner, WA.  I highly recommend her. 

in-case you are wondering... it was like pulling teeth to get my husband to take pictures in his uniform.  He thanked me a year later.

You can also view Kris' body coming back to his family, as well as view his beautiful family on Sarah's blog here::http://sarahfuccillophotography.blogspot.com/2012/01/domeij-family.html you might recognize my handsome husband helping to carry his casket, it was his greatest honor.