Moving?   Yuck…sorry, it’s an expression used by six year olds who hate eating vegetables, but it sure applies.  We’re only moving 1.4 miles away, but that doesn’t change the work involved.  Years ago I read, “moving is the second highest stress producing situation, second only to death of a loved one!”  Moving challenges every aspect of a relationship and I’m really proud of the fact that we’re doing it so well and working as a team to get the job done.  There’s actually been very little stress, just a lot of hard work.

But, as somebody who’s been in the photographic industry his entire life, there’s a side benefit.  I’m amazed at the fun of moving photographs.   Every wall of the house is covered with images, some of them mine, others, gifts from friends.  Here’s one of my personal favorites, but not because it’s mine, but because of the story behind it.

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It was taken in Tokyo on a perfect day with a very good friend, Taka from Asukabook, who was giving me the “private” tour.  I’ve always been in love with Japan.  It’s a country of contrasts.  It’s technology influenced by thousands of years of history.  This image was in the gardens of the Imperial Palace.  It was peaceful and hard to believe this serenity was surrounded by the contrast of business and technology just outside the palace gates. 

The image was captured with a $299 Fujifilm point and shoot.  Plus, there was a challenge, there was a lot of reflection on the water and you could barely see the Koi.    I didn’t have a polarizer – NOT, I had my polarized sun glasses.  Putting them in front of the lens and turning them I was able to kill the reflection.  

I don’t have a strong enough Photoshop background, but I certainly have friends who do.  Bambi Cantrell worked her magic on it with a little help from Kubota Image Tools and Nik Software.   The guys at Cranes Paper, in a booth at one of my favorite shows, PhotoPlusExpo, printed it 30×40 and it held up beautifully.  Having weaseled a free print as part of their in-booth demo that day, the print became even more special as I carefully rolled it and hand carried it home.  The airlines could have lost my luggage and I wouldn’t have cared as long as that print made it home.

So, the next time you capture an image, whether it’s for yourself or a client, think about the power and responsibility you have the minute you click the shutter.  Think about the range of possibilities of how that image might live on.  If nothing else you’ll understand why I believe so strongly in the value of what we provide in the photographic industry.

You don’t just take pictures…you don’t just sell albums…you’re not just a photographer!  The challenge is finding the words that describe what you are! 

You’re an artist.  You’re at times a poet and a storyteller.  You’re at times a journalist.  You’re a technician and an inventor.  For wedding photographers, you’re a therapist, a psychologist – even a mediator.  And my favorite of all, you’re a magician – you capture memories and turn the intangible into reality!

So, on this lazy rainy (at least here in Akron) Sunday morning, look around you and think about the story behind every picture on your desk or your walls.  A picture really is worth a thousand words and each of you are authors with your name on the great American novel!