Sunday Morning Reflections: Capturing Great Memories

It's a typical Sunday morning with one exception. I woke up knowing exactly what I wanted to write about. There's so much we take for granted as members of the photographic community. You capture great images all the time, but they're rarely for yourself. And, for me and Sheila, when they are of us, they're always posed portraits, typically from an event we're attending.

The image above is my current most favorite of us because it captured what a good time we were having. Quite simply, it makes us laugh. It was an evening loaded with fun with a great friend, Sherry Hagerman. We've been friends with Sherry since she attended the first Skip's Summer School in 2009 and recently her parents moved twenty minutes south of us. We had dinner with Sherry last Saturday night and then headed over to Nokomis Beach.

Every Saturday night there's a drum circle with a dozen or so drummers paying homage to the setting sun. They play together, but it's random who starts the beat. There are typically 200+ people sitting in a circle watching as street performers, together with anybody with the nerve to get up, dance in the middle of the circle. From young kids to great grandmothers it's a flashback to a mini Woodstock.

So, that's the background, but here's my point. We're in this business because we love it, but how often do you capture an image of your own joy in life? Sherry's shot of us was just a grab shot, but without question, she nailed the decisive moment - she got the pure joy of the two of us having fun!

There's one more sidebar - the image reminds me of how unique our industry is. We help people capture memories and turn them into tangible moments to hold and cherish. And, as cheesy as some of you might think that sounds when was the last time one of those moments was captured of you...just for you?

Wishing everybody a Sunday filled with memories worth capturing and savoring later on!  Always go for those eleven-second hugs, because long hugs are therapeutic and help remind us what's most important in life!

Happy Sunday!