It’s the Journey

When it comes to photography, I love the process of working with a couple, a bride, a family, or a baby to get that “perfect shot”, a frozen moment that tells me something about who my subject is. It’s almost as if they’re sharing a tiny little secret with me alone as I look through the camera lens. Of course, I know my responsibility from that point onward is to share that secret by producing a viewable result that they and their families can also enjoy. But for that moment in time, at shot time, I feel like the secret is just between us.

But what about after that photograph is taken? Sometimes when looking again at a photo, my imagination takes routes beyond those dictated by the moment and environment of the photo session. I think about the journey of taking that photo somewhere else artistically and emotionally. Having the opportunity to explore in this way is as much of a joy as it is to actually take the photo in the first place. The beauty of this portion of the process is that I never ever know where my imagination will take me, and I love the surprises that result. Sometimes it’s a technique someone has asked me about, or a “look” that I’ve had on my mind for a while, or maybe a completely new recipe for expressing the photo differently than the way I originally imagined it.

I don’t do this sort of thing for all of our photos, but just a few from each session as the photo and the mood moves me. Often, I’m happy with a photo exactly the way we photographed it. I suppose I’m simply not destination oriented that way. Where photos are concerned, for me it’s more often about the journey.

(Click any photo to see a larger version.)