Amy + Zachary >> Day After on the North Shore

It was during year 3 or 4 when I first met and photographed the A+Z duo. Three or four in a relationship consisting of eight. EIGHT! (A concept I cannot even fathom, given that I was still a teenager 8 years ago.) The 3 of us kids spent an afternoon playing around downtown Rochester, creating some beautiful portraits together, and carrying on with general good humor and revelry. I know it was sunny, and I remember a few of our locations, but what stands out now more than the particulars of the session, was A+Z themselves. Most notably, when it came time to deliver their finished set of images. We agreed to meet at a popular low-key restaurant so I could hand over the disc from their session. It was scheduled as a drop, but that sweet, sweet Amy turned it into an exchange. This couple had a dozen homemade cookies (extra points for chocolate chip) wrapped carefully inside a pink Parisian themed hatbox waiting for me as a way to say thank you. This was my first introduction to the idea of clients as friends, and the concept that a photographer could rise above to be more than someone hired to push buttons. I was so honored, so humbled, that A+Z perceived our time together as more than a simple business exchange, and those feelings have stuck with me. As my business has grown and evolved over the years, I've been continually learning just how important it is for me to keep these personal relationships at the heart of what I'm doing. It keeps my work fresh, and my soul happy. You have my everlasting gratitude, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, for showing me the way, and for continuing to inspire me both in business and in life.