Hello! My name is Kelly, and at the moment I’m writing this blog, I’ll have been practicing photography on and off for about 19 years. I first started in High School, and at the time, I just loved it. All my siblings were very artsy in their own way, but I couldn’t paint and draw like my sister. I wasn’t very good at creating and building things with wood with my hands like my oldest brother. And I wasn’t musically talented like my older brother. But Photography, we just clicked (pun intended).
Today I’m writing about my “why.” Many photographers get asked, or ask themselves, this question, and although I started this journey and had a different “why” to begin with that was based mostly on being inspired and enjoyment, 13 years ago that changed.
Before you read any further, I wanted to say a heads-up; we are about to get REAL. See, while I’m sure many others have very encouraging, upbeat, and positive “why” stories, mine is touched with sadness. If you’ve ever met me in person, if we’ve ever done a shoot together, you’ll know I’m a positive, open minded, always-have-a-smile-on-my-face type of person, but in the world we live in today, this is something that we will all experience in our lifetime. Death. Losing a loved one.
We just got deep, right? Can you feel that?
It’s not necessary to go into details, but I lost my sister. One day she was here, I could call her any time I wanted, we were close, and the next, she wasn’t. The time surrounding her death is somewhat of a blur, but there are many memories that will forever be burned into my minds eye. One of those moments involves pictures. LOTS of pictures. The day she passed away, that night I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t do anything but think of her, and to this day, it’s still very raw. What do you do when you lose someone and you can’t sleep? For me, it was sitting in my home digging up every single image I could possibly find of her. I collected them all from around my house, from my framed photos, to the ones I had stuffed in a picture box, anywhere and everywhere. And then I just sat and stared at them all night while crying. I just wanted to see her. To this day, they are among the most precious items I own. They are all I have left of her, besides the memories, a few articles of clothing, and a tiny urn of her ashes.
I’m a big believer that photographs are one of the few things in life that gain value in time. Maybe not monetary, but certainly something emotionally tangible. You can’t get these moments back. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. And that’s why photographs are so important. They literally record and stop time for THIS MOMENT that will never come again. So that, my friends, is my “Why.”
I’m photographing with a purpose. The purpose to provide captured memories that you can cherish for a lifetime.
