Papa

A few years ago, I started photographing a little guy named Shayne around the time he turned 1. For his second birthday, we headed to Revere Beach so that his great grandfather could join us for a few shots. This was one of my favorites from that day.

Shayne and his younger brother Cullen are part of the larger Caton family that I have gotten to know over the years through engagement, maternity, newborn and family sessions and each time I see them all, I am struck by  how close this family is. This past summer, Shayne’s mother Christina contacted me with a different request than the typical annual session. The family spends time each summer at Hampton Beach, NH and wanted to know if I would join them there one day for an extended family session that would include everyone but would really focus on Christina’s grandfather, known as Papa.

We were so lucky to have a gloriously beautiful day and the session was one of my very favorites. It’s the kind of session where all that matters are the connections and you never know what may happen. Perfect outfits and perfect smiles take a back seat to the chance to freeze a moment in time that everyone present knows will be gone all too soon.  There are few poses and fewer plans other than to work with the light and follow the love. It wasn’t hard to find that day.

It is not lost on me that it is a privilege to get to peek in on the intimate moments that families share whether it is at a session like this or at a newborn session, days after a family has welcomed a daughter or son. And while I am just the person behind the camera and not a part of the actual moment, I am lucky enough to leave each session with images that are frozen in my own memory.

At the end of this session, as the sun was sinking into the horizon, we made our way off of the beach with Papa making his way through the sand with his walker. He had come all the way down to the water despite the challenges that it posed to him because the children were there. His family was there. Wherever they would be was where he would be, no matter the strength and effort that it would require. When we left, I watched him, surrounded by all of these people who adore him and it was as if the love that they all shared was what powered each step he took. There were a lot of photos taken that day but it was those steps and those moments that will forever stay with me.

Yesterday, Papa passed away. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet him and to get a glimpse at the enormity of his presence and his influence on his family.  I hope that the photos from this session bring a smile to the faces of those who are missing him today and that maybe they push others to pick up your camera or your iPhone or whatever you’ve got and grab a few moments this holiday season. Perfect smiles and poses don’t matter. Cluttered backgrounds are just busy homes.  Extra pounds don’t change who you are or who loves you. You will never regret the ones you took but you might regret the ones that you missed.  Take the picture now, while your beautiful life is happening.