Reflection is frustrating and fascinating. I've found this to be especially true lately.
Since re-doing and remodeling many parts of my website and business, I have been digging through my old Hallmark hard drive, looking for diamonds in the rough to display. Last night one so bright and beautiful came to me, I cringed.
Let's rewind 365 days for just a moment. That would put me right before my college graduation, finishing up my final portfolio.
Now, when putting together a portfolio with a deadline, you start to eat, sleep, and breathe your task. Photo shoots in the morning, editing in the afternoon, more photo shoots at night. All of the sudden, only 1 of every 3 shoots comes out with anything you care about, and you start trashing whole shoots all together and quickly moving on to the next.
On my winter break, I was back in Michigan with the worst shooting conditions possible. We were in the middle of the "snowpocalypse" and I had no studio access. Such a situation led me to a good friends farm with two freezing little girls waiting to have their photos taken so that they could get back in their warm car. Their mom, an old friend of mine, dragged them out for me because she knew how important finishing my portfolio was for me.
It's amazing what people will endure when they care about you.
We moved the girls around the barn and fried off a few quick shots and were done with it. One image wasn't worth pneumonia. When I got home, after feeling returned into my toes and fingers, I hardly bothered a second look. We rushed through the session and I doubted anything was even in focus.
I was back to scheduling the next shoot, and brushed the shoot with the girls under the rug.
Now let's fast forward to yesterday evening... I put the finishing touches on the advancements to my website and Facebook page, I catch up on e-mails, and then I start to dig into over due editing... I pull up the photos of the girls so that I can send some rough copies over to their mom. The second image in the series jumps off my screen and I immediately identify my mistake.
This image should have absolutely, undeniably been in my portfolio.
I sat down and gave it the time and affection it should have had in the beginning, and suddenly one of my favorite images I have captured to date emerged.
Take time, friends. Take time to look over and observe a situation before you dismiss it. We so often miss important details, that entire opportunities pass us by. Sometimes what we're looking for is right in front of us, but we're so blinded trying to find it that we don't even know what we're looking for anymore.
It's my pleasure to debut this image of Brooke, one that should have come to light long ago.
Who would've even known she was cold? And those eyes... Wow.
Stay warm,
