**To skip the long reading and go straight to what the project is about, scroll to the bottom…but you’ll be missing out on truly understanding what I hope to accomplish with this**
It’s been a month of ups and downs to say the least. As some of you may have heard, earlier this month my brothers girlfriend of 3 years unfortunately passed away at the tender age of 18. She was at my house the night before she died celebrating Jason’s birthday and I was lucky enough to snap the last picture ever taken of her. As much as it hurts that she is gone, I find slight comfort in that fact and that although the photo was taken with a cell phone and is technically speaking nothing great, it is the photo that matters, the photo that is important, and the photo that will be forever treasured as it shows what a true beauty she was.
I don’t want to get super depressing on this post, quite the opposite actually. If Marisol’s death taught me anything it was
A. To strive to be a nicer, more all around beautiful person like she was and
B. To cherish the people we love and take the time to document that love
I’ve photographed a couple wedding’s since this happened and I’ve noticed that I’m more in tune with the people there, their relationships, their love, and just how important they are. I’ve been focusing more on getting their portrait whether it is ideal lighting, ideal pose, etc or not because it’s the photo that matters. They are all getting together probably for the first time in many years and traveled from afar to celebrate. You have no idea what will happen tomorrow, but that photo I take will last forever and it could very well become a cherished photo that will mean more to you than you ever thought possible when it was taken. I never thought a cell phone snap shot of Marisol would mean so much to me, but the next day it did.
I have been thinking all month of what I could do to commemorate that idea, to celebrate love and the people who matter the most to us, that you shouldn’t just get together on a special occasion, and that we should document and take photos of the people who are important now because we might not get the chance later. I took a short mini vacay back to Southern California this past weekend to visit family and my goal was to get a photo of my grandma, great grandma, and one of us all together. The women in my life have always been so important to me and have really shaped who I am today. They’re such simple photos, but as I look at them I can’t help but feel a sense of warmth and happiness. And so the YOU’RE IMPORTANT project has officially began. I’m opening up my studio to anyone and everyone. Free of charge. That’s how passionate I am about this and the message.
PROJECT INFO:
I’m inviting you to come to my studio with the person or people who are most important to you. I’m limiting it to 5 people each shoot just to keep things intimate and meaningful, so put thought into who has made an impact on your life, who you treasure, and who is important. Not thinking about “Oh, if I could just lose XX pounds…then I’ll get my photo taken” or anything else. Only thinking about what’s important: the people, the love, the connection, and the photo. Documenting that love and documenting that person or people will mean more in the long run.
For now I’ll just be doing this project during the month of August to see how it goes. The photos will take place at my studio in SE Industrial Portland and there is no sitting fee charge. You will be able to select 2 final images for high-resolution download.
If you’re interested in the project and passionate about documenting the person/people who are most important to you, fill out the form below. Even if you don’t participate in the project, think about the words I’ve said and take the time to document life, love, and not only the special moments, but the moments in between as well<3
Brittany Lauren Photography 