I received an email from Sophia about a month ago.
I first met her when she was a guest at a wedding that I shot last year and she also happened to be a client of my old studio for her own wedding photos. It turns out, we have a lot of mutual friends, as is the usual case with Asians in New York City (I call it “Three Degrees of Separasian.” Get it? Separasian?”).
Anyways, Sophia was beginning a new chapter in her life with her daughter, Ava and wanted a portrait session to commemorate this new direction. After reading up on my Beloved philosophy, she thought it was the perfect combination of getting portraits while sharing a fantastic experience with her daughter.
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I remember I was at a bar having drinks with a friend when I first got her email. Lol. And I remember my immediate reaction was, “Wow, that’s awesome!” She gets Beloved, because that’s exactly what it is.
I think in my years, I’ve come to see that there is nothing quite like the bond a mother can have with her daughter. Of course there’s the daddy’s little girl/mama’s boy kind of relationship, but as I see the women around me getting older, I see the bonds with their mothers tighten as they become mothers themselves. Perhaps they see more clearly, the sacrifices, hardships, stress and pain involved in being called “mom.”
Korean moms especially. The first-generation Korean household daily responsibilities were mainly thus:
Dad – make money, play golf, watch Discovery Channel when not golfing
Kids – get into an Ivy League at any cost (lying, cheating and stealing are all acceptable)
Mom – take care of kids, make money, keep the house clean, check their homework, balance the checkbook, do laundry, cook meals, take kids to sports and/or instrument practice, go to parent/teacher conferences, discipline kids and there’s probably fifty other things that I’m just not appreciating.
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So yeah. During our initial consult, I learned that Sophia has a close relationship with her mother and lives a couple blocks away. I suggested we get her mother involved in the portrait, as that could represent three generation of women – strong, bold Korean women.
So with that in mind, we did a few Beloved invites which you will see the reactions of below. The other times, we were just playing around and having a good time. I just happened to have a super duper expensive camera with me. The weather was amazing, Ava couldn’t stop smiling and saying “Cheese!” and I was able to capture a few brief moments in three women’s lives together.
I walked away from the shoot smiling. I met a friend for dinner later that day and she kept saying I should do Beloved shoots every day because I’m in a much better mood than when I don’t. I don’t know how much of it was a joke, but I definitely felt a little lighter in my step than usual. HA! I hope my Beloved shoots have that effect on my clients.
Enjoy the photos, everyone!
~ Jase
