Patrick R. Clark Blog: The Importance of Portraits

I tell anyone who listens that printing your photos is so incredibly important. Anything from snapshots of a sleeping child, to wedding photos and portraits need to be turned into tangible copies. Why? Because of the unknown. You never know what will happen and when those prints will become an invaluable keepsake for your loved ones.

Recently, I spent an afternoon photographing an incredible woman named Becky. She is so full of life, love, and is as positive as a person can be. We spent the entire session laughing and enjoying each other’s company, and Becky put her faith in my vision and creative process. It was a delightful afternoon and I could not wait to show her the final photos.

When she walked in and saw her photos at her reveal appointment, she gasped and told me they were all so gorgeous. She was over the moon and loved all of the photos. Her husband was unable to attend the appointment, but she asked if she could show him and see what he thought. In the end, her husband liked the same ones she did.

At her session, Becky told me that she has a photographer that does her family photos every year and that she had a session scheduled a few days later for family photos. We talked about the importance of photographs and how important they will become to loved ones after losing someone.

Unfortunately, this scenario became all too real for Becky just two weeks after her session with me. Her husband, PJ, unexpectedly passed away at the young age of 33 years old, leaving Becky a young widow with two small boys to care for. As soon as I heard the news, my heart broke for her and I extended my condolences. I could not help but think back on that conversation and think that it was so fortunate they had family photos taken so recently.

I waited for things to calm down before I delivered her prints. When I arrived, she gave me the best hug….like I was the one who needed comfort. Becky is an incredible woman, and you can see the strength in her eyes. She is determined to keep going and be everything her two little boys need, and that strength makes her so beautiful.

When I handed the photos to her, she became misty-eyed and said something that really stuck with me.

“I can’t believe this, we were JUST talking about how important this is for family. It means so much to me. Thank you. You definitely made me feel beautiful and I will cherish those pictures for years to come.”

These beautiful words confirmed why what we do is so important. Women have a tendency to put everyone else before ourselves. Often, we push away the idea that we are beautiful and deserve to have our photos taken exactly as we are. As photographers, it is important to remember that our job is to do more than snap the shutter. When we create a photo, we are making more than a piece of paper with an image on it, we are giving them a tangible piece of time….something that can never be recovered and is priceless. When put into perspective, it becomes to easy to see why photographs are so vital.

Nicci Widener is a portrait photographer, wife, and mother of 3 located in Burlington, Washington. She first picked up a camera when her oldest child was born in 1998 and made the decision to make it a career in 2006. Her other articles can be found HERE.

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