**heavy thoughts alert** 
Recently, I had the pleasure and pain that is part of the human experience. On day one, I got the pleasure of photographing a life that is to be. I photographed a maternity session. She was a past bride who’s wedding I also had the honor of capturing, so it was really nice to then be invited to document the next portion of their lives. Soon, I will get to meet their newborn and once again be honored to be their photographer.
However, the very following day, I had the unfortunate experience of attending a funeral. My wife’s grandfather passed away after 80 years of life. I was an honor to have met him and be a part of his extended family. I can also honestly say that as a photographer, I took great pride to be there as well. You see, when you go to a funeral, there seems to be one common thread that we all share as part of the grieving process. The photographs. I have never been to be a funeral where the photographs were not proudly displayed as a memory and tribute of the persons life. After we are gone, we exist only in the memories of loved ones and in photographs/videos. An integral part of the human experience is memories, and I for one consider it a pleasure to capture those memories for the people who ask me to do so.
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My humble opinion of a photograph:
A photographs importance seems to exist on a reverse bell shaped curve: they are extremely important the moment they are taken. As time goes by, they become less viewed. At some point though, your previous experiences are desired to be relived and it is then that the photographs begin to take on a greater importance once again. We often do not know when that second time is going to be. It is that time gap in between that we call life. Jobs, school, kids, this or that happens. At some point you want to reflect. You have two options, your memories and your photographs.
by duane
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