A Photographer's Honor

I can not take credit for the beauty that is going to follow. However, upon opening my email this morning and reading this, it brought tears to my eyes. Tears that reminded me my job goes far beyond getting the "normal" photos of the day: bride, groom, families, first kiss etc; I blogged about this last year upon the death of a recent groom's father. His father passed away very unexpededly and they wanted some good pictures of him for his memorial service. It was then I realized the importance of what I do....

This email came to me this morning and I could think of no better way to show this other than to copy the message at it appeared. To my fellow photographers, though I am sure you need no reminder the importance of our job, I am sure this will touch you as deeply as it touched me. Better grab some tissues...



Her name is Katie Kirkpatrick, 21 years old. Next to her is her fiance Nick, 23...This picture was taken prior to their wedding, January 11, 2005. Katie has terminal cancer and spends hour in chemotherapy. Here Nick awaits while she finishes one of her sessions.....



Even in pain, and dealing with her organs shutting down, with the help of morphine, Katie took care of every single part of the wedding planning. Her dress had to be adjusted several times due to the constant weight loss.



An expected guest was her oxygen tank. Katie had to use it during the ceremony and reception. The other couple in this picture is Nick's parents, very emotional with the wedding and of course to see their son marrying the girl he fell in love with as an adolescent in high school.



Katie, in a wheel chair, listening to her husband and friends singing to her.



In the middle of the party, Katie had to rest for a bit and catch her breath. The pain does not allow her to stand for a long period of time.



Katie died 5 days after her wedding. To see a fragile woman dressed as a beautiful bride, makes you think...happiness is always there within reach, no matter how long it lasts.


Sometimes I am so busy trying to get the "list" of pictures that I forget about the moments that may never happen again. How soon we forget that our lives are a blip on the radar, whether we live 21 years, or 100 years. In the spectrum of eternity, it's literally the blink of an eye. Seeing these images this morning brought my focus back to why I love being a photographer. I love capturing beauty, I love documenting someone's life in that exact moment, exactly as it happens. I have so much to be thankful for when it comes to having this career: I get to meet amazing people, I get to photography in beautiful venues, and most of all, I get to use the talent God has given me to bring joy to others.

It is my hope that each of you reading, whether a fellow photographer or not, can find purpose in what you do, and know that each of us has been put on this earth, during this moment in time to serve the Lord.

Christ's Love,
J