A Matter of Life and Death
Can we talk about something morbid? Death. Yeah, I know: I just lost half my audience, right? (Maybe with the exception of you photographers who specialize in Gothic weddings!) Well, for those of you curious enough to hang with me through that ghastly opener, let’s be honest. As exciting and hopeful as the planning and production of a wedding can be, our clients’ lives go on amidst it all. More often than we realize, many of them are dealing with tragedy at the same time, making for a dizzying mix of emotions. As wedding photographers, we have a unique opportunity to serve couples in a meaningful way when they’re hurting.
Yes, there’s a good reason the wedding industry employs more photographers than, say, the funeral industry. We’d rather not be reminded of death. Culturally, we think of death as defeat. We speak of “losing” a battle with cancer. We wear black when we mourn. Death represents a separation, and we sorely miss our loved ones when we realize we can no longer share life’s joys with them here and now. But in this past year, death has reminded me just how much we have to live for—and exactly why our profession as artists is such a noble one.
