A Shared Story From A Colleague

Jeanine Thurston, owner & photographer at Fototails Photography, shared this moving letter from a client. I felt it deserved some more attention.

A letter on my door step. portraits are more than paper.

Posted by jeaninethurston on January 2, 2012

There will be no portrait photos in this post. This letter wasn’t mailed – it was at my doorstep when I got home a couple months ago. I read it, I cried, and read it again – probably a hundred times by now. It wasn’t easy to read – and honestly, as much as it validates what I do for a living – I wasn’t sure I was going to share it either – Until today, when a past client said that my print prices were too expensive. If you choose to read through the letter, you will know why I’ve finally chosen to share it.

July 2nd, 2011

Jeanine -

Today I am writing for a couple of reasons. I have some quiet time at the moment and need to get a couple of things off my mind. I will leave this for my husband to deliver to you when he is ready.

You photographed my wedding, you photographed my first pregnancy and my first baby. I contacted you awhile back to photograph my 2nd child and family. After getting prices and realizing I would want all of the pictures as we love your work – I decided against spending $500+ – which is what I normally spend for portraits and prints with you.. Please know it is not because I don’t value your amazing eye, or how much we love the experience.

That week that I decided to NOT do a session with you, this is how I spent some money.

On Sunday I called and cancelled our session. Monday I went out and got my hair cut ($39+tip), and colored ($65), Thursday I had my nails done ($24), my family went out to dinner at a somewhat expensive restaurant for no particular reason costing us $79 + tip. This was just 4 days since canceling our session, already totaling over $200 for un necessary things. My nails only lasted about 2 weeks, my hair is gone, and seven weeks passed when I got the phone call from our doctor. It was not something I expected and the cancer has spread very quickly. I will be leaving my husband, my 6 year old girl and my now 2 year old – not by choice. It is very hard for me to talk about it which is why I need to write you.

I watch your Facebook page and your posts about the value of a photo and if I could give back all of those things that I purchased this few weeks after I cancelled my session with you, knowing what I know now, and have that session, well… I would do it in a heartbeat.

Now my time is done and there are no more chances for me. The next time someone cancels a session – my wish is that you forward this letter to them. Time is fragile, it is gone before you know you had it. If you charged $200 for one print it wouldn’t be enough for what it is actually worth. I cringe to think that my priorities were a manicure over a memory to pass onto my babies and husband.

My love and thanks for what you have given us from past photos. I am so sorry that I did not see it as more than paper until now.

Karen L.

Everything I Ever Learned About Shooting At Sunset

That's right, I said EVERYTHING. You see everything I ever learned about shooting sunset I learned from this man.
Joe McNally is more than an author, a world renowned photographer, he's the guy who taught me how to shoot sunset photos and make them kick ass.

A couple of years ago, I needed some help lighting a portrait of a fighter jet and a bride. I reached out to Joe for some guidance since he had a little experience in this area. It was coincidental that the date of my shoot was right in between a seminar and a Nat Geo shoot, so on his way to his assignment, he met me at Luke Air Force Base and helped me create one of my favorite images ever.

Ever since that shoot, I've looked at sunsets without fear, without the OMG what should I do question. No, thanks to Joe, I approach the image capture process differently. I look at sunset not as a challenge, but a gift.

Thanks Joe!

Pregnancy Is Beautiful

I think pregnancy is one of the most beautiful states of being. In fact, next to weddings, maternity pictures are some of my favorite. After recently completing a couple of shoots for Aspen & Pete (maternity and newborn), they recommended me to Kim and Jeremy for their maternity photos. This weekend, just days before they are set to welcome their 1st daughter into the world, I had the pleasure of making memories for them. In a few weeks, you can expect to see what they are currently expecting.

Sexy In Scottsdale | The Montelucia Resort

When you shoot a beautiful woman, it's easy to bring sexy into focus, but what about buildings? Shooting structures can be a blast, especially when you have a vision in your head. I recently started the task of reshooting the Montelucia Resort in Scottsdale. This property is very pretty by day, but at night it becomes magical. Shooting a wedding at this pristine and fabulous resort is a treat, and any bride who gets married at the Montelucia has exquisite taste. If you're looking for an amazing wedding location, put Montelucia weddings on your short list.

Stand by, more images in the coming weeks and months.

A PR Shot That Tells A Story

When Randy and I discussed my doing a PR photo for his new photography site, I started to think about how to tell a story in a single photo. That's the hardest thing to do when you're dealing with the complexities of a persons life. Think about it, here he is, Randy Johnson, one of the greatest pitchers in major league baseball, now retired from the game and pursuing his passion for photography. Bridging the gap between those two lives, both on field and behind the lens is hard to do in a single photograph right?

I immediately thought of brick. That's right, brick. You see when I think about baseball, I don't think of players, stats, hot dogs... no, I think about the brick you see at storied stadiums like Wrigley Field. I told Randy I wanted to shoot against a brick wall. Fortunately his garage had the perfect backdrop.

Now, how do you show the transition from pitcher to shooter? That was the easy part. In just a few minutes, I had the shot I wanted, and Randy now has the new masthead image for his website.