Photography Inspiration - Providing clients with more than just photographs

Ocean of Hope taken in St. Pete Beach Florida by Mary Parkhill

As a photographer, I meet quite a few incredible people. Whether I’m photographing a family session or providing artwork for someone’s home, for a moment in time I get to see into the golden hearts of my clients.

This is such an important part of the job because it reminds me that I’m providing more to my clients than just a transaction - more than just a photoshoot or more than just a photograph for their wall. It’s a reminder that I’m sharing in something greater with them: capturing family memories or shaping how someone’s living room looks for their children to make fond memories in.

A treasure chest of stories

Over the last couple of years, I have collected a treasure chest of stories and today, I’d love to share one of them with you. It’s from a photoshoot that I provided to a client while I was working in Florida.

I met my clients on the beach to take photographs of a family. The weather was fantastic, the clients were excited and throughout the shoot, we shared quite a few laughs. It was a picture perfect family photoshoot - I couldn’t have asked for better clients or better photography conditions.

After wrapping up our session and editing their photos, I reached out to the client to share their images. The client’s response took my breath away.

In addition to thanking me for my time and the photos, my client told me that she had terminal cancer. Her family had insisted on getting family photos with her but she was initially hesitant to do so because she had scars from radiation and surgeries. She thanked me for making her feel comfortable throughout her photoshoot.

It was such an incredible reminder that life is short and that we should embrace every moment of our lives, living purposefully and with positive intentions. These photographs would serve as a reminder to her family of the incredible times that they shared together while on vacation.

To my client: Thank you so much for being brave and for letting me see into your golden heart. You continue to provide me inspiration even years after we met.


 

Have you had a breathtaking story happen to you lately? I would love to hear about it if so. Comment below or reach out to me here.