...And That Got Me Thinking...

Just this morning, Stacey and I were talking about how awesome it would be to have a dedicated space – a “real” studio, if you will – to shoot in. Open areas, permanently mounted backdrops, dedicated lighting, the whole thing. We quickly moved the idea to dream status. We're a small operation. It's just the two of us and we work from home or on location all the time.

It's not that we wouldn't like a larger, more dedicated space for photography, but this works. Our living room is fairly large with plenty of room to shoot kids, individuals, couples and small families. It has a tall, vaulted ceiling that makes lighting easier and just enough depth for decent photos. We're usually pretty happy with the results. And, of course, it doesn't cost us anything extra per month to operate – a big plus when you're self-employed. But, it's still nice to dream.

A Little Too Late...

Hello, my name is Stacey, and I'm addicted to Facebook (everyone? "hello Stacey"). I could, and have spent hours with my eyes glues to the screen, mouse in hand, feet tucked beneath me falling asleep, just browsing through the profiles. My guilty pleasure is seeing some of the ridiculous pictures people post. Just on my own kids' profiles, you're likely to find a garbage truck with graffiti all over it, Mr. Potatoheads, shoes, and different shaped pancakes. What prompts these I'll never know, but this mindless stuff is everywhere. So why do we take pictures of clocks, toilet bowls and spiders? Because we can. 
 Twenty years ago it was a process to capture those moments we consider important. We had to dig the camera out of the closet, buy film and maybe disposable flashes, load the camera, take the 36-max pictures, head to your local photomart kiosk on the corner, and wait for days hoping you took something decent and they didn't lose or ruin the film. We don't have to work that hard today. With a wallet-sized digital camera, even a cell phone, we have the ability to catch and keep every minute of our lives. 
So why did I, a photographer claiming to LOVE what I do, get caught with virtually no pictures (snapshots or otherwise) of a loved one after his death? I know I would have never conned him into sitting for a legitimate photo shoot, but why did I not keep my little point-and-shoot handy and actually USE it to catch some memories? Who cares if he was always making a goofy face or in the midst of telling me to put that thing away? I should have 1) been prepared and 2) taken them anyway, with the chance of having my camera thrown out the window afterward. I missed this somewhere. Lesson learned...
So for all of you who take the self-portrait with the Zoolander face and peace sign, for all the pictures of what you had for dinner, and even those before and after shots of the duct tape prom outfits you made...keep up the good work. And to those who haven't embraced, time to catch up. There's a whole new world out there called digital photography, and it's just begging to be taken advantage of. You don't have to be a photographer, you just need to be ready to capture a story. You never know how or when those stories will creep back into your memory. 
This one's for you, Dave. RIP