08/28/2026
I’ve been told some version of this in almost every job I’ve ever had.
Don’t get too attached. Don’t get too invested. Maintain professional distance.
Ironically, my mom has been told the same thing throughout her career too. We form relationships with the people we work with. We remember them. We worry about them. We care about what happens to them after our part in their story is technically over.
For a long time, I thought maybe that meant I wasn’t very good at being “professional.”
But I don’t think that anymore.
I believe deeply in professionalism. I believe in showing up prepared, communicating clearly, respecting people’s time, doing what I said I would do, and delivering work I’m proud of.
I just don’t believe any of that requires distance.
Especially in photography.
You invite me into some of the most intimate days of your lives. I meet your parents and your grandparents. I learn who your people are. I hear the complicated family dynamics. I know who we need to make sure gets photographed. I see you when you’re overwhelmed, nervous, crying, laughing, exhausted, completely in love.
How could that not be personal?
I care about the photographs, deeply. But I also care about what happens in between them. I care whether you feel safe with me, whether you can breathe when I walk into the room, whether your family feels seen, and I care that when I put my camera down, I was someone you were glad was there.
Eventually my job is finished. The gallery is delivered. The contract is complete.
But I’ve come to believe that our lasting impact on people is actually very simple: how we made them feel.
So maybe I care too much.
I think I’m okay with that.
