What if someone told you, you only have 2 days left to live?

Would you run and blow money? Would you spend time alone crying because you’re freaked out? Would you be surrounded by people you love? Would regret overcome you? 

Whatever you would do, I hope that in the time you spend doing whatever you please, that you stop to take a picture.

You see, as a photographer it’s a given that I think photos are one of the most important things in life. I don’t say this so my income goes up…I say this because your life lives on through them. Growing up, I can remember the large tubs of photos around the house. Going through dozens and dozens of Kodak albums full of special moments, special people and special memories. Maybe in that moment they were simply just moments and people, but photos have the POWER to take you back in time, remember the smell of your grandma’s dinner, remember the gentle hug from a father or remember laughing so hard you peed yourself. (Only me? Oops.) 

I don’t JUST take photos. I see people. I see people in a way that others could have missed. 

I seriously don’t say this in hopes of 10 people e-mailing me to book a session, I say this because life is short and recently I got to experience this first hand.

I had just finished up at a conference, open the car door to be greeted by my husband driving and that’s where he informed me that one of our dearest friends and greatest mentors had gone to be with Jesus. After the initial shock and trying to process the words he said to me, the first thing I did was look through all of my photos with and of this person. I laughed, I remembered hilarious stories, and I felt like I was back in those places just like I mentioned earlier. All because I decided even the littlest moments can have meaning.

Being a photographer, I often hear people putting off photos until they lose X amount of pounds, until they find the perfect outfits, until they build the house, until until until…time runs out. 

Sometimes we don’t always get the glory of everything being in OUR perfect timing, because life is short, hard and real. So take that picture, call that friend, quit missing out on our hourly opportunities to show real love and document our short, precious time on this earth. 

Stories are fun to tell, but a story I can SHOW you will invite you in to see the laughter, color and fullness in that moment. Your story matters. YOU matter. You’re worth that picture. And you don’t really look as bad as you think, you’re actually the best you in that second that you could ever be.

So take a picture.  

xoxo

holly