Stephanie was my boss for a number of years, another life ago when I used to work corporate. While working for the firm, I moonlit as a photographer and writer for a few years, and no one was more supportive of my passions than Stephanie. She was definitely the best boss I ever had… always had my back, and we know that goes a LONG way in business and in life. I remember walking into her office with my resignation letter on my fourteenth to last day in the corporate world, and instead of some selfish “How can you do this to us!” kind of spiel, she was like “I KNEW IT! But I’m so happy for you! You’re gonna be awesome!” How can you not love a boss like that?
It’s been a few years now, and we still keep in touch. She’s since gotten married (to a gentleman named Yabar) and had a handsome son, named Wally… I forget what it’s short for. (Sorry!) I’m still single with no kids, but the business has been my baby of sorts, keeping me up at nights and breast pumping all my money away. Sorry, that was a terrible metaphor.
Anyways, Steph and I were having lunch one day when we started discussing a Beloved Family Portrait session. This was more a hybrid of a Beloved and a regular portrait session because there’s only so much response/reaction you’re going to get from a baby!
For this blog entry, I’m showcasing just black and white photos. I recently met with a couple who wanted ONLY color photographs for their wedding and it kind of bothered me. They didn’t book me but I wasn’t terribly destroyed over it like I usually am(!). I think it would’ve been a cool wedding to shoot (it was themed) and the couple seemed really nice. But I LOVE black and white photography (moreso than color), so I would’ve been torn. I think I would’ve just given them black and whites regardless (I’m stubborn like that).
I think with a great color photo, I’m like “Wow, that’s a cool photo.” But with a great black and white, I’m more like “Wow, there’s so much emotion in this shot.” Black and whites strip everything else away, isolating the emotion. And a photograph that evokes a certain feeling is always far superior to me.
Not that I’m saying all of MY black and whites are like that. But that is a goal of mine every time I click the shutter. Anyways, enjoy these monochromes!
~Jase
