What they mean to me

Why do we cherish our pictures the way we do? We keep credit card-sized point-and-shoots in the diaper bag and snap tiny low-res images with our cell phones. Some of us even spend thousands on wedding photography and baby portraits. Why?

I was thinking the other day about my childhood. What I did back then. What people looked like. Who mattered. How I got where I am now. And one thought in particular struck me - nearly every memory I have of early childhood is tied to a photograph. I simply can't conjure many memories without first starting with an instant that was forever frozen in time by a picture.

That's why wedding photography is so important to people. Wedding photography not only documents a special day in our lives but it cements our memories of the way we were, the way we felt, the things we dreamed. It shows us at our best. And it not only preserves that for ourselves; it provides keen insight for the generations to follow, for our children and grandchildren.

That's why unlimited photography and rights to all images is so important to me for my clients. I've run into a few clients who initially tell me, "I really don't think I need 1,000 pictures. I just need some good shots of us and our family and friends."

But, trust me. All too soon after the cake is eaten up and the flowers wither away, those memories begin to fade. If we're lucky, it's because we continually make wonderful new memories and our brains can't store it all, though our hearts might want to.

So, ten years, twenty years, fifty years later, we pull out our wedding albums and we marvel at the outdated fashions and archaic photography techniques and we remember, no, feel, how we felt that day. And we simply can't believe how much we've forgotten. Oh, just wait 'til you have kids. It's even worse! It's a heart-breaker when the vividness of those soft round cheeks, tiny baby toes and that one special smile that melts your insides begins to fade way too soon. But the image takes us back, and the laughter and the tears and the stories come rushing forth.

And that's why we love our pictures.

 View my work at www.strinnistudio.com