I received a comment on a previous blog from Brad Walters.  In the process of thanking him for his feedback, I visited his website.  He had some great work, but what I enjoyed most was a comment he made in a responding email:

“I’m fairly sure we have not met, as I have not participated in many seminars, or ever even been to WPPI, as terrible as that sounds.  I’m a family man in that phase where my kiddos are really young, so something has to give and it won’t be them.”

All of us talk a good game, about always putting our families first, but very few of us, including me, consistently walk the talk.   Well, one thing lead to another and I asked Brad if he wanted to do a guest post.  As I’ve said at least 2-3 times in previous blogs, the best part of our industry has nothing to do with photography, but the passion we all share for the craft!  In this guest post, Brad’s really had some fun with his recent passion for images of his own family.  I don’t know about you, but the fun of it all really hit home for me!

BradWaltersPhoto

We have all been guilty of getting caught-up in the operations of our businesses, while forgetting just how precious images are to our clients.   Contracts, f-stops, light modifiers, shutter speeds, insurance, blogs, Flash vs. HTML, and of course, money–there are so many aspects to consider.   It’s the cost of doing business, right? Well, what if these distractions are affecting how your clients feel about their photos?

I recently had a rude awakening similar to ice water in the face, in the form of a collection of images of my own family of four, taken by our good friend and local shooter Charlotte Geary.   She offered to do a family session for us as part of altf’s “pay it forward” idea, (I’ll shoot your family, if you agree to shoot another photographer’s family).

I was not expecting the emotional impact her images of my family would have on me, just simply because they were of my own family.   Picture me downloading images from the gallery, and getting frustrated because my blazing fast connection was not downloading theses gems fast enough. I want my photos, and I want them now.  

I walked over to my office window, and saw almost a foot of snow on the ground, and it was still falling. “It’s just snow; I have a truck,” I tell myself, and proceed to Charlotte’s house to get a disk. “Treacherous” seems a mild term when describing the next forty-five minutes of driving. “Surely they’ve plowed that steep hill up to her house by now,” as I round the bend to Charlotte’s house “Nope”.

Oh well, it is what it is, I’m getting up this hill. I’ll walk if I have to. I pull up in the driveway and its hugs, and handshakes, and an offer to stay awhile for coffee. The snow is still falling so I need to get home before it gets worse. Then it’s back-ups, then back-ups of the back-ups, then off-site backups.

WaltersFamily

I sit there at my desk amused at what I just subjected myself to for these images of my family. Mild guilt comes over me when I realize that I rarely even give this concept a passing glance for my clients. It’s always, “make sure the shot-list is complete,” or “how’s my light?” and “oh THAT shot will sell,” and “I wonder if that wedding coordinator knows how awesome I am?”

What I should be thinking is, “I really hope my clients treasure that image I just made”.   So be it, I will. There is so much more to learn about photography, than just photography.