:: throwing down the gauntlets. you ready? ::

“Laughter is the closest distance between two people.” :: Victor Borge ::

I know starting a blog off with a quote is sort of like starting off a graduation speech with Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” (aka “The Road Less Traveled”) or something, but stay with me here for a minute people. I came across that image above while editing away for an upcoming blog post chock full of images (well, 1 of 2 posts cuz there’s too many images to narrow it down to a reasonable number…) and it struck me.

Sometimes I’m drawn to the unique, the technically accurate, the magical moment, the perfect lighting, the different, the edgy, the breath-taking when I look at photos. I’m constantly trying to improve what I do and I try to spend a decent amount of time looking at the work of people I consider my Betters. But sometimes I am struck by the simplicity of pure connection.

Because let’s face it. Connection, true and real connection, is hard to do. I don’t mean “connect” on facebook. Or “connect” through email. Or even “connect” through Match.com. I mean that moment when you realize that something deeper just happened.

I’ll be honest – it’s a struggle for me. Because connection takes vulnerability that I’m just not willing to give sometimes. Vulnerability doesn’t always pay off in a positive way. Sometimes it’s ugly and it means getting hurt. But I’ve learned something about connection lately – especially about really connecting with my clients – it’s worth it. Worth the work. Worth the discomfort. Worth the sometimes pain. Because then something beautiful happens. My clients become more than clients. They become people I love and share laughter with.

Let me give you an example. I had a client a few years back who approached me about shooting her wedding. She was struggling to come up with the money to hire me, but she knew she wanted ME to shoot her wedding and told me so. I was flattered, but mostly because it felt good to know that she had somewhere decided to reach out and try to connect. I decided to take that chance too. It meant fudging the budget a bit, re-orienting a few things and getting a little uncomfortable, but now she’s a beautiful married woman with a fabulous family (ALL of whom I have now worked with separately and together) and I’m excited to for the upcoming arrival of their first child. Not “excited because they’ll probably hire me to take baby photos” excited. I mean genuinely THRILLED. Because somewhere in the past few years, we let our walls down a little and connected. By the time I even got to her wedding day, we had developed a friendship that allowed for more than just easy conversation, it allowed for – nay, INSISTED on – laughter. Like, belly laughter too. Not that weeny polite stuff.

Today I spent a good 20 minutes straight laughing-so-hard-I-was-wheezing-in-a-singularly-UNattractive-manner with my husband. Something I DEFINITELY don’t do enough. Somewhere in those 20 minutes, all of the irritations, the pain, the frustrations, the busy-ness, the day-to-day LIFE of the past few days and weeks (and maybe months) melted away. I honestly can’t think of a better way to have spent my morning. Sure, I had things to do. Important things too, like take a shower, but I have zero regrets. I want to have 20 minutes like that every day of the rest of my life. Really.

And really, when it comes down to it, laughter is more than just good medicine. It’s the fruit of the connection that I crave and don’t take the risk to pursue often enough. I don’t know about you, but I would really love to connect to more people and have more people to share a good laugh with.

So here it is internet. I’m throwing it out as a challenge to you (and to me). I check my google stats and I know how many of you are visiting this blog (if you’re reading this on facebook, count yourself lucky that I can’t check stats there…yet….) so no weenies out there, ya hear me? I’m asking for your help. Help to violently shove gently push me out of my comfort zone. I’m asking you to help me CONNECT. With you.

Reach out. I’m starting the conversation, will you continue it? I triple-dog-dare you. So reach back. And let’s see where this thing goes.

:: b ::