I confess that, despite what my “residual self-image” might profess, I am addicted. I essentially “consume” everything related to photography. Sound familiar? Event photography? Sure! Point me in the direction of the keynote speaker. Graffiti photography? Yes please. Let’s take our super expensive camera and lens down a sketchy alley just to take some photos of “urban art.” The latest gimbal/backpack/50mm F1.2 prime lens/LUT/preset pitch? I’ve already read it. Brother, I read camera manuals like they’re on the New York Times bestseller list. Maybe you do the same.
That’s all well and good, but I would like to suggest that we (and I mean photographers here) should all take a step back and think about the deeper impact that we’re having on people’s lives when they step into our frame. And sure – this thought probably resonates more with family and wedding photographers since they’re likely capturing significant life events like weddings, quinceañeras, and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. I would argue however, that regardless of the kind of photography you’re engaged in, if it involves people who pay you to take their photos, then you have a higher obligation than to simply document their day.
If you think of yourself as an archivist – or better yet – a historian, then you’re likely closer to the fundamental truth of photography than many who call themselves photographers. I say this not from a position of superiority, because I know my photographic journey is still just that – a journey – and that the destination – if there is one – remains elusive. Indeed, I’m committing these words to paper and pixel because they remind me to focus, to be present, and to live in the moment when I’m working with a client. These words help me to tune out the distractions, to ignore (for the moment) the inevitable drudgery I always seem to feel during post processing, and to ensure my end of the collaborative effort is my best.
A huge part of that collaborative effort is the connection we make with our clients. If we’re not connecting, we should just sell our gear and give way to the Robot Overlord Artificial Intelligence Monkey with a Camera (that’s ROAI-MWAC if you’re keeping score). Because the technology that we’re using will continue to improve, we must think deeper about that human connection that we’re making when we’re hired to capture someone’s day or event. We’re there to tease out the emotion, the love, and the deep commitment our clients feel toward another. If we can do that, we’ve done more than simply take a photograph. We have captured an ephemeral emotion that may never be repeated. Sure that couple will continue to love one another (hopefully), but that look, that smile, that sense of safety that they shared just as we made that photograph is unique to them and is unique to that moment. We’re there to capture that. They give us the clay, we mold it into shape. We’re doing more than delivering a product or service. We’re delivering memories – frozen in time – that will hopefully resonate for decades – perhaps even across generations.
Sure … everyone has a camera these days. That doesn’t cheapen or minimize what we do for our clients. Cutting through that clutter and seeing them for them is what we do. So use that camera - regardless if it’s the latest and greatest or a Canon AE-1 from 1975 to make that connection, to stand apart (even if for only a moment) in our clients lives, and to deliver memories to them – not simply photographs.