Last weekend, I made my way down to a photo conference in Santa Barbara. Over the past week I’ve met so many amazing photographers that I am thrilled to call my friends. I also heard photographers speak about their craft, marketing, blogging, lighting, and why we do what we do. This quote I heard over the past week that resonated with me by Jeremy Kester:

“Couples want to hear their story from our perspective.” 

So very true. A wedding day is a story waiting to be told through a series of photographs. The love that is shown by everyone for the happy couple, the family that hasn’t seen each other in years, and the moments that are curated into memories once they are captured in photographs. Our job as photographers, needless to say, is an important one.

Take a look at this photo:

I didn’t know this grandmother before the wedding day but I can tell her heart is filled with joy, love, and pride as she hugs her granddaughter. She knows that her future is bright and that she will be okay. When the bride looks back at this photo, she’s going to remember not only her grandmother being there on her wedding day, but the wonderful memories and stories that she shared with her leading up to this point.

I recieved a message from this bride last week and it read,

“Hey Ryan, my Grandma passed away on Saturday and I just wanted to say, again, THANK YOU for capturing this for me. It’s more treasured than I think any of us ever could have imagined.”

I encourage you to take more photos around the people you love.  If you can’t, pick up the phone and call. The power of a photograph can stay with you for a lifetime and you’ll be so thankful in the end that you did.