What's your reason?

Have you ever found yourself, especially after a rough day, asking yourself, or your spouse, or whomever will listen, "Why do I do this?!"

Recently, I photographed a family that has a 3 yr old with a rare form of kidney cancer. Before the session at their home, I was a basket case stressing over all the "things that could go wrong". Never having had a family portrait, these would most likely be their only family portraits with Lydia. I relayed my fears to my friend & mentor, Dana Nordlund, and he said "THIS is why you are a photographer...get out there and do it".

We had good weather the day of their session. Lydia and her 1 year old sister were just as busy as any one and three year old getting photographed. We enjoyed our time together, capturing as many moments as we could before the girls gave out...even got Dad to crack a grin (he didn't smile for his own wedding photos I was was told). I posted the proofing slideshow to Facebook for them to share with their friends and family afterward (the family got the dvd copy to keep). It was tough not letting the emotional aspect override my brain throughout all of this.

Lydia took a turn for the worse about as week after their prints were delivered. Fluid is building up from the cysts that the tumors create. Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh can do no more for her but keep her comfortable and as pain free as they can with the help of Hospice. They figure she has maybe 2 weeks...

The pictures we create today for people may be the only things some people have left when the ones they love are taken from them. When I first started taking photographs, I thought I wanted to help people feel better about themselves by getting their best angles, touching up the flaws they can't see past. But after this experience, I want to make sure I have created the most beautiful memory for someone.