5: Finding Authenticity

…and Working past Expectations

No need for mountains or sunset to see a beautiful moment, they are in the moments we are most ourselves.

For Devon and Baliegh all they needed was each other and their duo of pets to celebrate the miracle of seeing their firstborn for the first time. After learning the times and place of this photo-shoot, I was a bit nervous that their modest apartment would not reflect such a significant chapter in their lives as husband and wife. After seeing the photos, I convinced myself that they were unworthy of what I wanted to achieve as a photographer. What I captured instead was a messy pallet of colors and photos that seemed to lack direction. I weighed options of redoing the photo-shoot, blamed circumstances, and opted for a re-shoot. I paced and reflected more on the details, after all, I had many many photos. I soon learned I saw only what I did not want to see. Let me explain…

There is a moment when a photo reveals itself to the photographer before anyone else. It’s like being the first one to witness a shooting star. It is a moment distilled down to its most essential parts one that is found between the thoughts and action. When Nhoell told me that we are naturally fearless, but it is our minds that get in the way, I saw what that meant when I took away the distraction of colors, but it goes further. Once this context of authenticity was understood, I realized the beauty of colors in this photo-shoot.

I learned so much from such a simple living room photo shoot. Hearing about their story about moving away from family in New Mexico to start a life in Washington and now a family is one that still carries so many questions. It’s a story that does not need mountains or seas to lift the importance of this monumental chapter, the moment in itself is what matters.