Wedding Photographic Society

Over the past couple of years at the WPS, we have grown from a very small & local organization into now have almost 700 members in over 20 states and 5 countries.  One of the main fears we, the WPS board, had about the growth was loosing the true purpose behind our organization – which is learning, sharing and helping others.  For our November meeting in Raleigh, NC, we decided to hold a “what are you thankful for” submission from our members.  The whole idea was to look back at your photographic career and find an image that really makes you thankful for your own life.

We had quite a few submissions and, as part of the idea, we have blogged them all below.

So, without further ado, I give you what the WPS photographers are thankful for!

I am most thankful for Bella, my two year old dog. Her vibrant energy when I walk in the door from a long day of work never ceases to amaze me. Her sweet face always makes me smile after all that we have seen and been through together. And she is always the perfect model for any photograph.

- Kristen A.

This image represents the “bookends” of five generations of women in my life. My wife’s grandmother is holding my new granddaughter. I am very close to my wife’s family and her mother and grandmother mean the world to me. Of course, my daughters first child holds a very special place in my heart.

- Jim C.

This is my story of thankfulness. It still makes me cry. Actually, Im am crying as I write this.
It was a bright, cloudy day, and I was wanting to try some natural light portraits of my shepherd Chickie. It started kind of rough, with her not understanding what I wanted from her. But being a smart girl, she caught on quickly. For this pose, I had to convince her that she would NOT be in trouble if she got on the furniture. I had a wonderful afternoon with her that I will never forget. Im so grateful that I had this time with her.
She died suddenly a week later.

- Sue B.

In choosing a photo to symbolize what I’m thankful for, it’s no surprise that I choose one featuring my kids. But, this one is special. My best friend of 16 years and I had our kids four days apart. FOUR DAYS. You can’t make that kind of thing up! Among our families, my fraternal twin boys and her daughter are affectionately known as The Triplets. This photo was taken earlier this year when my friend and her daughter were visiting from New Jersey. I love that I was able to capture three 18 month-olds smiling and looking at the camera. I love that they’re all wearing coordinating pajamas. I love that you can see my foot, my husband’s hand, and my friend’s knees around the edge of the photo, framing our kids. And I love that they love each other as much as their parents do.

- Carrie G.

Some days we take for grated people who are our mentors, caregivers and motivators. It’s rare when something moves me to act, but this moment made me think of my family immediately. Tears streamed down the face of the bride’s brother as they cried together during the father-daughter dance. It is powerful to me because her brother stood in for their deceased father, which made everyone cry. This moment moved me to hold all my family members tight and tell them that I love them.

-Christobal

 

I love this image because it was one of the first pictures that I really felt proud of. It is a reminder to me of so many wonderful gifts that I’ve received – the potential to make beautiful photographs, the ability to visit the Outer Banks every year all of my college friends, and a wonderful husband, who loves the beach as much as me and never fails to remind me of the potential that I have.

- Rebecca F.

This image reminds me of why I am thankful in 2011. The day before I shot this wedding, my Dad had a massive stroke and was in ICU in Charlotte.
Because I was shooting this wedding, I could not go to the hospital to be with my family. We all know that as photographers, it is our job to really be present in order to give our all at a wedding. As hard as this day was for me with all that was going on back home, this was an incredible wedding to be a part of. This image was taken as the couple walked out of Duke Chapel right after the ceremony. I love the mystery and the play of light and darkness in this shot. Marriage is such a magical union, while being so full of the highs and lows of life throughout the years. Thankfully, my Dad is recovering and I was able to be there in the hospital with my family right after this wedding.

-Martha M.

Unfortunately in this business we do hear of a lot of tragic things happening and they all seem amplified because it’s happening at, or close to a wedding. A few months before a wedding, I had a client’s father diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and really was not expecting to make the wedding day. To make a long story short, he took a miraculous turn for the better and was up and about during the wedding day. What I am thankful for is being taught how incredible of a power we hold, as photographers, to memorialize family and loved ones which can be treasured if & when tragedy does occur. The above photo is something that I had been thinking about since I first got the call about his illness. I wanted to make sure and get a fitting portrait of her father – something that could be passed down, honestly, for generations as a legacy of his life.

- Brian M.