I have been in Cali this week and Sunday we went to the Santa Monica Pier and there is this huge memorial on the beach. There was a small tent nearby that had shirts that said “where were you? on Sept 11th and also references to the war that has resulted. I just found this sign very poignant and proof that we are still affected every day by Sept 11th.
Where were you?
I was driving to one of my first paid photo jobs and heard the news cast on the radio. I immediately called Victor and my friends in NY and family in DC. Of course I could not get through to them. All the lines were busy. I did not get home until about 1PM and we immediately went to our friends house. We all just sat there watching the television in disbelief. Almost all of us had lived in NY and just rehashed various memories. Vic, our friend Dave and I had all temped at the World Trade Center. One friend’s wife was in NY dancing and didn’t even know about it until late afternoon. She was not around a TV. Amazing that you could be in a place with such horrific things happening around you and not even know. There were no windows in the studio so there was no way of knowing of the chaos outside. A friend of ours lost her husband and another friend had been late to work that day because she had an audition. There are millions of stories out there just like these…..
I guess my point is: Did you say what you needed to today to those you love? Do you have photos of those people closest to you? Have you preserved those memories for others?
This is why I love capturing weddings and I feel it is such an honor. Why I try and approach each wedding as a clean slate, a story about this couple, these families and these friends. Why photographers try to emphasize how important a good photographer is on the day of your wedding or the birth of your child or your family portrait. Because sometimes in life there are no do overs.
Many thanks to all my friends, family and clients.
