It’s Valentine’s Day, so I thought I’d share this story.

The power of pictures.

Just received a very sad request. A man emailed me last night looking for a copy of an image I made a few years ago at an event. He was looking to download a copy of the photograph. 

The power of pictures.

First thing I thought was, “Oh, someone wants a freebie.” 

Sadly, there’s more to the story. You see, the photo featured a woman that this gentleman had been in a relationship with, so, the reason was personal. It turns out that I made the image in the beginning of the couple’s relationship. 

The power of pictures.

The dawn of a new day.
Love in the air.
All that really good stuff at the start of something special.
That’s how the man sees the image.

Very cool. OK. Now we get to the sad part. The couple is no longer together. Late last month the woman died tragically in a kayaking accident. The man was looking for something that reminded him of her. That reminder is in the image I made way back when.

The power of pictures.

No, I won’t share the image, because quite frankly, I don’t want to invade their privacy.

He was willing to pay for it, but I just couldn’t charge someone for something like that.
A memory.
A piece of someone’s heart.
Priceless. 
So, I just sent the pic with my condolences.

Can’t believe that I am crying like a baby writing this.

The power of pictures.

The reason I was able to find that image is, well, we are professional. Our archives are easily accessible as well as searchable years after an event. Currently in our archives are images date back to the very beginning when I was the station photographer for 93.3 WMMR in the mid-80’s before joining the staff of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

We value your memories as much you do.

The value of the memories created are priceless.

The power of pictures.

When looking for a photographer, whether hiring us or not, please keep that in mind.