Would you hang a framed portrait above your fireplace of you and your personal trainer? Or maybe you & the nice check out lady at the grocery store? Probably not...obviously. What about you and your best friend? You go shopping every Monday, yoga every Tuesday, Starbucks on Wednesday, book club Friday night. Millions of smiley, goofy-faced snapshots of the two of you are pinned over your desk, stored on your iPhone, and littered around Facebook. But even this tight-at-the-hip buddy of yours hasn't earned a framed spot on your staircase wall.
I've been profoundly struck this month by the significance of being (professionally) photographed with another person and what it says about your relationship. Going to the portrait studio with those most special people, whoever they are, is a way of standing up, hand in hand, and declaring that your friendship and love for one another is so deep, unique & worthy of commemorating through a gorgeous intentional portrait that can hung on the walls of your home and passed on for generations as a monument to your beautiful relationship. It can be a reminder to others of the wonder of love between humans - that sparkly connection that we share we only a select few people during our lives. This photograph of you and the ones you love the most becomes a treasured possession; you would run into a burning building to save it because of all it has captured and contains; and sometimes because it is the only thing you have left of them.
Miggy and I have been apart now for almost 5 months and it occurred to me in month #1 that if he died tragically before getting his green card and I never saw him again, I don't have any portraits of him or of us together that really really capture him or our love. We have snapshots, funny profile pictures, and home-made wedding photos, but not one photo that was taken simply to celebrate him/us. All of these photos were taken at other events where the focus was elsewhere and the picture was a biproduct. As soon as he arrives in Seattle, it would mean so much to me to be photographed with him with the sole purpose of creating an image that I can cherish forever - an image that would comfort me should I ever be without him.
Who are the people that you want to be photographed with? Who are the people that, God forbid should anything happen to them, you would forever wish you'd taken the time to set aside one day for a visit to the portrait studio with them? Find them now and be photographed with them while you still have the chance.
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You are awesome!