you're important enough...

the below is summarized from cheryl jacob's amazing post on further exploring this concept:

every time you photograph someone, you tell them, ' you're important enough to remember.' make the most of it.

What if we, as portrait photographers, approached every session this way? How would it effect our interactions with our subjects, and therefore our work?

When you point your lens toward another person, you are telling them that they noteworthy; that of all the people in the world, they alone have your attention at this moment in time. You have the golden and rare opportunity to transform the simple act of photographing a person, into the forming of a human connection that didn’t exist before.

Challenge yourself to make all of your subjects feel important. Be generous with yourself. Slow down. Learn something significant about each of your subjects, whether they’re two years old, or eighty-two years old. Make a connection. Remember always that you get what you give.

i try and read cheryl's words often...and really think about them, which is why i end up posting about her quite a bit (she's just so darn inspiring).  she has so much wisdom to share. and...she's willing to share!! i don't want to just read her words and think they're great; i want to truly embrace them.

through reading cheryl's writings, i'm always encouraged to investigate myself as a photographer... why do i do what i do? what kind of photographer do i want to be? what kind of photography do i want to offer? what does it all mean to me? what is really important?

i deeply hope that each and every one of my clients can say that they had a great time and felt respected and important and...that they received photographs that they love and will cherish for a very, very long time.

this photograph is from my first client session--and a photograph that will forever be one of my favorites (and hopefully the client's too).  it's also a photograph that i brought to cheryl jacob's workshop, for review, back in 2006, shortly after launching my photography business.